Earth Journalism Network (EJN) Forest Governance Story Grants 2025 – YOA

Deadline: January 6, 2026

Applications are open for the Earth Journalism Network (EJN) Forest Governance Story Grants 2025. EJN is providing reporting grants to journalists to help the manufacturing of in-depth tales on forest governance points.

EJN is launching its new Forest Governance Media Initiative (FGMI) with a narrative grant name for journalists who want to report on forest governance subjects domestically in Cameroon, Liberia, Ghana, Vietnam and Indonesia, in addition to journalists within the UK, EU member states, China, India and Japan who want to report on worldwide forest governance processes.

This story grant OPPORTUNITY will award as much as 7 grants in complete, with extra grant alternatives because the undertaking continues. In addition to funding, chosen journalists will obtain help from skilled mentors via the story manufacturing course of. This work is funded with UK International Development from the UK authorities.

Story Themes

They are fascinated with pitches centered on the next nation-particular themes, although they can even settle for purposes for forest governance tales exterior of those themes:

• Indonesia: Deforestation pushed by oil palm plantations and mineral mining, IPLC land rights, forest legislation enforcement gaps, social forestry, the SVLK timber legality assurance system and FLEGT licensed timber.
• Vietnam: Timber commerce, REDD+, implementation of the FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement with the EU, profit sharing for native communities.
• Cameroon: REDD+, group forestry, unlawful logging and associated actions, cocoa plantations and forest legislation enforcement.
• Liberia: Illegal logging, mining and deforestation, monetary crimes, EU-Liberia directives and agreements.
• Ghana: Impacts of gold mining and cocoa manufacturing on forests, implementation of FLEGT licensing.
• International: International forest governance processes, commerce relationships or insurance policies that have an effect on Indonesia, Vietnam, Cameroon, Liberia and Ghana, such because the EU Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR), REDD+, the Global Biodiversity Framework, and so on. 

They goal to help the manufacturing of tales that increase consciousness about and contribute to forest governance processes akin to authorized reforms and coverage implementation, and drive dialog amongst stakeholders at native, nationwide, regional and worldwide ranges. Proposals that concentrate on subjects or tales that haven’t been broadly coated are most well-liked. Issues which have already acquired loads of media protection or don’t present distinctive angles to forest governance challenges are unlikely to be chosen. 

Grants

• They anticipate to award 7 story grants with a mean finances of 1,500 GBP every. 

Eligibility

• Applicants will be from any nation, however they’re significantly fascinated with purposes from journalists in Cameroon, Liberia, Ghana, Vietnam and Indonesia on the subjects outlined above.
• They are additionally requesting purposes from journalists worldwide who want to report on worldwide forest governance processes, commerce relationships or insurance policies that have an effect on the 5 goal nations listed above. For these proposals, they’re particularly fascinated with purposes from journalists within the UK, EU member states (significantly Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, France and Belgium), China, India and Japan.
• Groups of journalists are eligible. In the case of Cameroon and Vietnam, cross-border collaborations between journalists inside and outdoors of those nations would even be acceptable. However, the application should be made within the title of 1 lead applicant. Lead candidates are chargeable for speaking with EJN and receiving funds on the group’s behalf, if awarded. 
• For the needs of this grant alternative, they may solely be accepting purposes in English. Unfortunately, they don’t have the capability to contemplate purposes in different languages presently. Applicants should both have a working understanding of English or have a translator obtainable to help with communication with Internews workers.
• Applications are open to journalists working in any medium (on-line, print, tv, radio) and different skilled media practitioners with skilled reporting expertise. They welcome purposes from early-profession journalists and skilled reporters with a observe document of masking biodiversity, local weather or forest points. They encourage purposes from freelance reporters and workers from all sorts of media organizations—worldwide, nationwide, native and group-primarily based.
• Selected journalists will likely be anticipated to provide work consistent with the undertaking’s excessive-high quality journalism requirements, which embrace however should not restricted to; the inclusion of marginalized sources, knowledge, multimedia and different parts to be mentioned and agreed throughout onboarding for this grant alternative.
• Applicants are required to be clear about using generative AI instruments, if any, to revise their proposals. EJN reserves the proper to disqualify candidates from consideration if they’ve been discovered to have engaged in unethical or improper skilled conduct, together with, however not restricted to, submitting AI-generated content material as their very own.

Selection Criteria

Applicants ought to contemplate the next factors when devising their story proposals.

• Relevance: Does the proposal meet the standards and aims of the decision? Why does this story matter and to whom? Is the principle thought, context and general worth to the audience clearly outlined?
• Angle: If the story has been coated, does your proposal carry new insights to the subject or supply a contemporary angle?
• Reach: Does the proposed media outlet have a large attain? Journalists publishing their work at retailers that usually limit content material behind paywalls are inspired to safe commitments to publish from extra retailers, or request an exception to make sure their EJN-supported story stays accessible to audiences.
• Impact: Does the proposal have a compelling narrative that may inform and have interaction, draw consideration, set off debate and spur motion?
• Innovative storytelling: The use of inventive approaches, multimedia and knowledge visualization will likely be thought of a plus.
• Plan for well timed publication: Reporters, whether or not freelance or employed at a media outlet, might want to embrace a letter of help from an editor of their application, committing to publish the tales by September 2026. 

Application

Click here to apply

For extra data, go to Forest Governance Story Grants.