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FIJ Awards Grants to Investigative Journalists

WASHINGTON – The Board of Directors of the Fund for Investigative Journalism has awarded $104,000 in grants for 26 independent investigative projects in the United States and overseas.

The grants provide the resources necessary to travel, interview sources, and research documentary evidence. The Fund’s grant-making program is made possible by support from the Park Foundation, the Gannett Foundation, the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation, and generous donations from family foundations and individuals.  Funding from the Green Park Foundation enabled the Fund to make specialized grants investigating climate change issues in the U.S. and overseas, and investigating economic inequities in the U.S.

Journalists receiving grants are:

Trevor Aaronson, Florida Center for Investigative Reporting

Marc Ambinder and David Brown, co-authors

Christiane Badgley, multi-media reporter and producer

Stephen Fisher, a California-based writer

Matthew Fleischer, a Los Angeles-based writer

Laura Frank, I-News Network (Denver)

Christoph Gielen, a New York City-based photographer

Laura Herbst, a North Carolina-based writer

Anne Keala Kelly, a Hawaii-based filmmaker and independent radio reporter

Christopher Ketcham, magazine journalist

Daniel Levin, filmmaker

Anna Limontas-Salisbury, a multi-media journalist

Elivan Martinez, Centro de Periodismo Investigativo

Susan Mernit, Oakland Local

Barbara Moran, a science and investigative reporter based in Boston

Madeline Ostrander, a Seattle-based writer who covers environmental and social justice issues

Nicole Pasulka, Mother Jones

Emily Ramshaw, Texas Tribune

Leah Samuel, PublicSource (Pittsburgh)

Ken Silverstein, a Washington DC-based writer

Michael Stoll, San Francisco Public Press

Lee van der Voo, InvestigateWest contributor

Diana Washington Valdez, El Paso Times

Hella Winston, The Nation

Stephanie Woodard, a freelance writer for Native American-owned publications

The grantees will investigate topics ranging from the exploitation of vulnerable populations and environmental resources, to corruption and malfeasance in local, state, and federal government. Specifics of their projects are confidential until they are completed. In addition to funding, interested grantees receive editorial guidance from mentors through a partnership with Investigative Reporters and Editors. Selected grantees may be eligible for fellowships with the Schuster Institute for Investigative Reporting at Brandeis University.

The awards being announced today were made during two grant cycles, during the winter and spring. Another series of reporting grants will be issued in the fall.

The Fund for Investigative Journalism is an independent, non-profit organization that has supported hundreds of public service reporting projects since 1969, when it provided funding for Seymour Hersh to investigate the massacre of Vietnamese civilians by American soldiers in My Lai. His stories won the Pulitzer Prize.

Read more about Fund-supported projects and instructions for grant applications at www.fij.org. Journalists with questions about the application process are encouraged to contact executive director Sandy Bergo by phone, 202-803-5151, or email, [email protected].