The International Women’s Media Foundation is launching a national journalism safety initiative to provide wrap around care for small newsrooms and journalists that lack the resources and knowledge to implement best practices and safety policies for 2024 and beyond. The IWMF will offer one and two day highly interactive in person safety workshops to local and regional news outlets in battleground states and rural areas where newsrooms are grappling with ongoing safety challenges. Topics include risk assessment and mitigation, personal security, active shooter, protests, legal/know your rights, and psychosocial/mental health awareness. After the training is completed, the IWMF will offer ongoing support to the participating newsrooms and journalism networks with safety consultations, assistance developing and implementing safety policies, and emergency assistance grants when needed. This approach will target the needs of journalists and newsroom leaders before, during, and after the elections with a mix of prevention and mitigation measures alongside emergency response and assistance if the newsroom faces any threats.   

The Newsroom Safety Across America Initiative will begin in February 2023. During the initial phase of this project, the IWMF will prioritize Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Arizona, Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Georgia. Exact dates and locations are being finalized. The training is free to participants, but the IWMF is unable to provide financial support for transportation and/or lodging. 

If you are a newsroom, journalism association, or freelance journalist, please fill out this form to indicate your interest in this training. 

About the IWMF's Safety Work

As the leading provider of identity-informed, holistic safety training and resources for journalists and newsrooms – with a focus on women and non-binary reporters – in the U.S. and globally, the IWMF has trained thousands of journalists to enhance their safety online and offline. From 2020-2022, the IWMF has trained more than 7,230 journalists via our customized safety trainings and self-paced courses, and has provided HEFAT trainings to 810 journalists worldwide from 2014-2023. We lead Hostile Environment and First Aid Training (HEFAT) courses specifically tailored to the localized threats faced by the journalists we serve. 

We established the IWMF Emergency Fund in 2013 for journalists in crisis to provide women journalists with a lifeline of support in times of distress or threat. Now more than ever, journalists around the world face real dangers as a result of their reporting. The Emergency Fund is sustained with the support of individual donors to address the growing need to provide direct assistance to women journalists who are suffering.

The IWMF Emergency Fund provides women journalists with:

• Small grants for psychological and medical care for incidents directly related to threats and crises caused by one’s work as a journalist;
• Three months of temporary relocation assistance in the event of crisis or threat;
• Legal aid to counter threats of imprisonment or censorship;
• Non-financial assistance in the form of information about additional access to resources.

To be eligible for the IWMF Emergency Fund, candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Be a staff or freelance reporter, working in any medium, whose primary profession is journalism;
• Have worked full-time as a journalist within six months of applying for assistance;
• Apply for assistance with a crisis situation directly connected to work as a journalist.
• The IWMF believes that gender does not conform to one notion. We are inclusive of all journalists who identify as women and non-binary people.

To request assistance from the IWMF Emergency Fund, you must complete this preliminary questionnaire. An IWMF staff member will respond to your request in a timely manner at which point you may be required to provide additional information. Please understand that it will take time to process your request and that we prioritize the most urgent requests. Requests that do not meet the criteria above will not be considered.

If you are a journalist from Afghanistan or Myanmar contacting us regarding relocation or basic support: Please note – due to the current limitations of the IWMF’s resources, at this time we do not have the capacity to support the enormous number of journalists who are deserving and in need, and we regret that we will be unable to process your request.

If you are experiencing any accessibility issues with the application process, please contact info@iwmf.org.

Promoting the work and advancing the role of women in the news media across the globe is critical to transparency and a diversity of voices. The Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists, the first funding initiative of its kind, enables the IWMF to dramatically expand its support of women journalists. Established with a $4 million gift from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the Fund will support projects including educational opportunities, investigative reporting and media development initiatives. 

The Fund for Women Journalists accepts applications on a rolling basis. Please note that applications may take up to 8 weeks for the IWMF to process, from October 2023 to April 2024.

  The Fund was designed to help women journalists by providing grantees support to:

• Expose under-reported but critical global issues 
• Undertake ambitious projects that challenge traditional media narratives 
• Develop field-based expertise and strengthen careers 
• Pursue training and leadership opportunities 
• Launch entrepreneurial news projects or acquire the skill to do so
   

  Eligibility
 

• The Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists is open to women and nonbinary journalists of any nationality. 
• Journalism must be the applicant's primary profession. 
• Applicants must have at least one year of professional journalism experience, with a track record of publishing in non-student outlets. 
• We accept applications from teams of journalists; however, the application must be led and submitted by a woman or nonbinary journalist, and the team must include at least 50% women.
• Due to staff capacity, applications are only accepted in English (preferred) or Spanish, but reporting may be published in any language. 
• Please note that the IWMF is unable to work with news outlets (such as the BBC) that do not honor the program's crediting requirements.

Note: The IWMF believes that gender does not conform to one notion. We are inclusive of all women, nonbinary and gender nonconforming journalists.

 
 Due to the high volume of applications, we cannot answer questions by phone or provide applicants with individual feedback. Please review the information on our website before beginning your application.

If you have any further questions or are experiencing any accessibility/connectivity issues with the application process, please email associate program manager, Taylor Moore, at tmoore@iwmf.org.

The IWMF's Kim Wall Memorial Fund will provide $5,000 grants to journalists whose work embodies the spirit of Kim’s reporting. The grant will fund women or non-binary reporters covering subculture, broadly defined, and what Kim liked to call “the undercurrents of rebellion.” Kim wanted more women to be out in the world, brushing up against life, and the Kim Wall Memorial Fund honors this legacy.

All applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Women or nonbinary journalists with one (1) or more years of professional experience working in news media from anywhere in the world. Internships do not count toward professional experience. Staff and freelance journalists are both eligible.
• Applicants must have excellent written and verbal English skills in order to fully participate in and benefit from the program. However, reporting may be published in any language.
• Applicants must be able to show proof of interest from an editor or have a proven track record of publication in prominent media outlets.
• Grants will be awarded to cover reporting-related costs including travel, logistics, insurance, visa fees, professional stipends and payments for producers, translators, etc. The IWMF does not cover the cost of equipment purchase or rental and cannot support academic research or research for academic publication.

The IWMF believes that gender does not conform to one notion. We are inclusive of all women, non-binary and gender non-conforming journalists.


Application Period
The IWMF is accepting applications from November 6 to December 17, 2023, at 11:59 PM EST via Submittable. The IWMF cannot consider time-sensitive proposals. Applications will be reviewed in January and February 2024, and applicants will receive a response no later than the end of February 2024. Grantees will be publicly announced on Kim's birthday, March 23.

Resources
For application tips, please visit the IWMF's website here.
For questions or accessibility/connectivity issues with the application, please email associate program manager, Taylor Moore, at tmoore@iwmf.org. 

The International Women’s Media Foundation, the Women’s Equality Center and Azmina are pleased to lead a nine-day reporting trip focused on reproductive rights in Brazil from March 5-15, 2024. All reporting fellows will begin their trip in Rio de Janeiro from March 5-9, where they will complete a one-day safety training and have the opportunity to cover the Women’s Day March. Fellows will need to decide between Brasilia OR São Paulo for the second half of the reporting trip scheduled from March 10-15. Story pitches should explore underreported issues that impact people’s daily lives relating to abortion access and how this intersects with the political and legal landscape in Brazil.

Fellows will have the opportunity to network with other journalists, report collaboratively with their peers, and gain access to a variety of sources and sites related to their reporting. The IWMF arranges travel and in-country logistics for all fellows. The IWMF also covers fellowship-related costs within the framework of the reporting trip including travel, visa fees, lodging, meals, and interpreters, unless a selected journalist’s news organization wishes to assume these costs. The feasibility of day trips outside the base location will be determined by IWMF security protocols and assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Fellows are responsible for procuring all necessary visas for which they will be reimbursed at the conclusion of the fellowship. They will need to send proof of the visa by a specified date.  

All reporting and publishing must be completed by July 31, 2024.

Eligibility Criteria

Applications will be pre-screened for eligibility using the following criteria:

• This opportunity is open to women and nonbinary journalists.
• Applicants may be freelance or staff journalists and may apply individually or as part of a team. 
• Professional journalism must be the applicant’s primary profession.
• Applicants must have three (3) or more years of professional journalism experience. Internships do not count toward professional experience.
• Applicant must be able to show proof of interest from an editor or have a proven track record of publication in prominent international media outlets.
• Applicants may apply in English. The published work can be in any language.
• A strong preference will be given to journalists who speak Portuguese and multimedia journalists. 

 
We are accepting applications on a rolling basis. Please review the sample application here.

Senior Development Coordinator

Reports to: Director of Development

Reporting to the Director of Development, the Senior Development Coordinator will play an instrumental role in garnering support from funders to sustain the vital programming of the IWMF. The ideal candidate will have a proven ability in grantwriting and successful track record of securing grants in the six- to seven-figure range. The Senior Development Coordinator will also support the creation and implementation of original campaigns and strategies that will engage current donors, attract new donors and convert both into regular contributors to our mission. This position will assist in the IWMF's donor outreach throughout the year, identifying creative opportunities for engagement. This may include drafting social media messaging, organizing events, and implementing other creative funder outreach strategies as well as representing the IWMF in the community and at networking events. The Senior Development Coordinator is a multi-faceted position with growth potential.

Grants

• Serve as steward of existing grants by tracking existing grants, including funder payments, reports and other deadlines
• Lead grant proposal and report writing, working closely with the program team and assuring that the IWMF meets guidelines and funder expectations
• Research and identify new foundation opportunities, co-author letters of inquiry and concept papers in collaboration with programs team

Donor Engagement 

• Serve as main point of contact for entry- and mid-level donors, stewarding and cultivating them as prospects for major donors; support the design of targeted campaigns for this donor group, in collaboration with communications team and oversight from Director of Development
• Manage broad communications to funders with oversight from Director of Development and Executive Director
• Conduct research to identify funder prospects

Events

• Assist with coordination of the Courage in Journalism Awards events fundraising with Director of Development and Executive Director
• Manage logistics of cultivation events, including liaising with external partners and creating internal work plans (preferably using Asana)

Other 

Occasional scheduling, correspondence, administrative tasks 

Qualifications

Three to four years of progressive relevant work experience. Previous fundraising experience essential. Must be eligible to work in the United States. Candidates of color are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Skills and Values

• Cultural competence and a demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion
• Self-starter who is organized, flexible, able to successfully manage multiple complex projects, programs and priorities simultaneously
• Effectively manages up to anticipate the needs of your supervisor
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team; assists with implementation of cross-departmental initiatives
• Experience working with high-level internal and external contacts in a diplomatic and professional manner
• Positive, solutions-oriented approach a must
• Fluency in English, including excellent written and oral communications skills
• Passion for IWMF’s mission; exemplifies the values and culture of the organization, upholding current policies and procedures
• Exhibits enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit; ability to motivate others and a sense of humor required
• Knowledge of the news media and development industry a plus
• Donor Database/CRM management experience preferred (Salesforce, Donor Perfect, Raiser’s Edge or similar)

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher

Employment Type

Full-time. IWMF headquarters are located in Washington, DC. Preferred work location in New York or Washington, DC. 

IWMF staff works remotely.

Compensation

Starting Salary: $60,000

IWMF also provides excellent benefits, including a 401(k) program with employer matching incentive, individual health insurance (80% paid by the IWMF), short- and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, the opportunity to establish a flexible spending allowance, and a generous leave policy, including paid leave between Christmas and New Year’s Day. IWMF staff work remotely with a “global office” policy and flexible schedule options. Opportunities for professional development, advancement, and travel.

To apply

Submit a cover letter stating why you are the best fit for this position, highlighting relevant experience; current resume; three references and two writing samples relevant to this role (one should be a grant proposal, the other could be an appeal letter) by December 31, 2023. References will not be called without prior notification. Applications will be reviewed on ongoing basis. 

Targeted Starting Date: February 1, 2024 or earlier

If you are experiencing any accessibility/connectivity issues with the application process, please contact info@iwmf.org.