WASHINGTON – (December 21, 2011) The Board of Directors of the Fund for Investigative Journalism has awarded $34,000 in grants for seven independent investigative projects in the United States.
The grants cover reporting expenses such as the cost of traveling to interview sources. The Fund’s grant-making program is made possible by support from the Gannett Foundation, the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation, the Park Foundation, the Green Park Foundation, and generous donations from individuals.
The next deadline for submitting grant proposals is Wednesday, February 15, 2012.
Journalists awarded grants in the most recent round are:
Susan Chandler, a Chicago-based journalist who specializes in financial reporting
Susan Greene, a Denver-based journalist who specializes in social justice issues
Myron Levin, founder and editor of FairWarning
Ian Shearn, a New Jersey-based journalist with a background in government and political corruption investigations
Heather Smathers, a Arizona-based journalist who specializes in government accountability reporting
Isaiah Thompson, senior staff writer, Philadelphia City Paper
Amanda McAllister Wilson, Inter Press Service
In addition to funding, grantees receive editorial guidance from mentors through a partnership with Investigative Reporters and Editors.
During 2011, FIJ has awarded $152,000 to journalists working on 39 investigative reporting projects in the United States and overseas.
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 FIJ-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, 202-391-0206, or email, [email protected].