Society of Environmental Journalists creates fund for reporting and entrepreneurship

The Society of Environmental Journalists has a new program offering grants of up to $2,500 to support environmental reporting projects and entrepreneurial ventures. "In an era of diminishing newsroom resources, the Fund for Environmental Journalism provides incentives and support to qualified journalists and news organizations to enhance the quantity and quality of reporting on environmental issues," SEJ writes on its website. In January the SEJ Board of Directors set aside $10,000 to fund two rounds of grants in 2010.

"We wanted to help somehow, without competing with our own members," SEJ President Christy George said. "The idea that emerged from months of discussion was the Fund for Environmental Journalism. These grants will help environmental journalists struggling in the current media environment to redefine themselves or their platform." Grant money from the fund may be used for project-relevant travel, training, research materials, database analysis, consultants, and other direct expenses related to the applicant’s reporting project or entrepreneurial venture.

Applicants are not required to join SEJ, but must meed the requirements for membership. You can read the over page for details about the fund here. "The Fund is meant to be an incubator for new ideas, projects and training," George said. "While the grants may not add up to a lot of dollars, each one is meant to provide that critical bit of capital needed to launch something new, or reinvent something old." (Read more)