DEADLINE EXTENDED | CALL FOR REPORTING GRANTS APPLICATIONS: Reporting Climate Change in Africa, 2024

The Wits Centre for Journalism; Africa-China Reporting Project in collaboration with Dialogue Earth, invite journalists, media scholars and professionals to submit reporting grants applications of up to US$ 1,500 to the Reporting Climate Change in Africa project.

(Deadline extended to Friday, 16 August 2024)

Submit to: africa-china@journalism.co.za

The Reporting Climate Change in Africa project aims to help build the field of climate journalism in Africa. This supports the wider development of journalism and environmental civil society on the continent, and helps to create opportunities for media professionals, organisations and NGOs that demand a greater voice in the public sphere. The project represents a ground-breaking collaboration between four global organisations; Dialogue Earth, Wits Africa-China Reporting Project, Development Reimagined, and The China Global South Project, under the funding framework of the Africa Climate Foundation (ACF).

African voices have been excluded from the global conversations around climate change and the just transitions, and there is scant awareness of climate change solutions appropriate to African realities. The continent's choices of partners and technologies remain contingent on external drivers; stakeholders lack the tools for making proactive choices around partnerships for the climate and environment initiatives.

Informed media coverage is required to improve public participation, and to support greater awareness of the risks and opportunities among development partnerships and initiatives related to climate change mechanisms, and their impact on the grass roots, technological and financing options, African resources and manufacturing in the renewable energy industry. African media can play a greater role in showcasing African perspectives and needs, in scrutinizing governments' and business roles in partnership with global players and investors. Reporting grants proposals are to explore African experiences within the climate-change and environment dimensions, potential development partnerships, and infrastructure investments, with emphasis on the voices of women, youth, and other under-represented groups. Applicants can submit proposals guided to, but not limited to these aspects.

Applicants must have successfully completed the Reporting Climate Change in Africa Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), as a demonstration of their learning. Applicants must be able to produce and publish media content to engage online climate change journalism focused on Africa. Grantees are welcome to re-publish their reports in other language platforms, including French and Arabic. Grantees will have two months to complete and publish their reports, and are expected to be able to commence with their fieldwork immediately after being notified of the successful acceptance of their application.

The selected reporting grants reports will be published on Dialogue Earth's platform and re-published on the Africa-China Reporting Project's website. Dialogue Earth publishes all articles under a Creative Commons license.

Only 10 reporting grants will be awarded for this call. Due to the high volumes of applications, please note that only successful applicants will be contacted.

How to apply

To apply, send an email titled "Reporting Climate Change in Africa Reporting Grant Application", with all required application documents listed below, to africa-china@journalism.co.za by Friday, 16 August 2024.

Please submit the following to your application:

• A succinct proposal in MS Word, outlining the story idea; what will be investigated, a detailed background and relevance, and methodology indicating how and where the fieldwork will be undertaken, including the applicant’s assessment of the risks of the project.
• A detailed budget of expected costs. Budget costs are not to exceed US$ 1500.
• Applicant’s resumé/CV, samples of published or broadcast work (if available), and supporting letters of recommendation and certificates.
• Applicant’s valid passport copy.
• Applicant’s valid permit (if non-South African working or residing in South Africa).
• Applicant’s valid and stamped banking letter or banking statement (not older than 3 months). 
• Applicant's Reporting Climate Change in Africa MOOC Certificate of completion.

Reporting grant terms:

• Applicants must have successfully completed the Reporting Climate Change in Africa Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), as a demonstration of their learning.
• Eligible applicants are African journalists, media scholars and professionals located in the continent and/or outside of the continent. Fieldwork that is being proposed for the reporting grant must be undertaken in an African country.
• Reporting grants recipients will receive 50% of the total budget at the outset, and the remaining 50% will be made when and if the feature is published.
• Successful grant recipients will be required to sign a contract agreement which outlines the terms of the reporting project and the agreed budget.
• The reporting project should be completed within two months, unless otherwise communicated and agreed in writing.
• Applicants are required to explicitly confirm their independent status and declare any affiliations which may be considered problematic and/or aligned to terrorist groups, including declaring full compliance with OFAC sanctions.
• Payments made through South African banks will incur relevant tax deductions in compliance with SARS.
• The Wits Centre for Journalism and Dialogue Earth, will accept no responsibility for the work produced or the conduct of the grantee but retains the right to use any material published as a result of a grant for publicity and promotional purposes although it will at all times provide due accreditation to the journalist/author.

For inquiries, please email africa-china@journalism.co.za