IWMF Reporting Grants for Women’s Stories

The IWMF’s Reporting Grants for Women’s Stories, sponsored by The Secular Society, is a new funding initiative supporting journalism produced by and about women. In an era of increased globalization, the need for varied coverage of gendered topics is critical to a free and representative press. These grants will be a catalyst for reporting on untold stories surrounding issues that impact women and girls’ daily lives worldwide. 

Through programs, fellowships, and grants the IWMF empowers women journalists with the training, support, and network to become leaders in the news industry. The IWMF recognizes that promoting the work and advancing the role of women in the news media is critical to transparency and that women journalists remain underrepresented in both media organizations and bylines across the world. Consequently, stories about women and the issues that affect their lives remain severely underreported. The IWMF’s Reporting Grants on Women’s Stories initiative empowers journalists to access untold stories through new means of funding that emphasizes gender balanced reporting.

The Secular Society’s support for gender equity through independent reporting grants highlights the need to provide women journalists with more robust funding opportunities to pursue journalism in the public interest. The Secular Society believes that all governmental activities and those of religious organizations should be separate; they also hold that all religious beliefs are equally valid and their expression must be treated with tolerance and respect. Journalism funded by the IWMF’s Grants for Women’s Stories will contribute to the larger conversation about secularism’s role globally and focus on the challenges faced by women in a non-secular world.

These grants provide opportunities for women journalists to pursue international stories of importance through gender-sensitive coverage of underreported topics.

• Grants will average $5,000 USD.
• Grants will be awarded to cover reporting-related costs including travel (flights, ground transportation, drivers), logistics, visa fees, and payment for fixers/translators.
• All applications must be filled out online via the IWMF’s online application system.
• Funding will be awarded in August, December, and April.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis beginning May 2. The Reporting Grants for Women’s Stories Committee will meet three times a year to make funding decisions.

Proposals that are extremely time sensitive will be considered on a case by case basis. If your proposal is time sensitive, please be prepared to explain why in your application.

Apply for funding here.