International Women’s Media Foundation invites applications for the Kim Wall Memorial Fund for Journalists in 2020.
This year, the Kim Wall Memorial Fund will provide a grant to a journalist whose work embodies the spirit of Kim’s reporting. The grant will fund a woman reporter 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 honours this legacy.
“The undercurrents of rebellion.” That’s how Swedish journalist Kim Wall described her unique approach to reporting on subcultures, broadly defined, around the globe. The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), in partnership with Kim’s family and friends, seek to make sure the kinds of stories Kim loved continue to be told, through the creation of the Kim Wall Memorial Fund. Whether reporting about Cuba’s underground market for digital content and culture, how the politics of opportunity played out inside Kampala’s emerging Chinatown, or the extent to which female Tamil Tiger combatants in Sri Lanka were failed by the promises of a feminist utopia, Kim introduced us to incredibly interesting people others overlooked. The Memorial Fund will help other women with Kim’s adventurous spirit chase down these important, underreported stories.
Kim reported from all over the world in her short but accomplished career as an international correspondent. Her reporting appeared in publications including Harper’s, The New York Times, Foreign Policy, The Atlantic, TIME, Slate, Vice and Guardian. Kim was an IWMF fellow and grantee, and received support from the organization in 2016 to report from Uganda and Sri Lanka.
Worth of Award
- The grant is up to $5,000
Eligibility
- Affiliated or freelance women-identifying or non-binary journalists with three (3) or more years of professional experience working in news media from anywhere in the world. Internships do not count toward professional experience.
- Non-native English speakers must have excellent written and verbal English skills in order to fully participate in and benefit from the program.
- Applicant 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 (flights, ground transportation, drivers), logistics, insurance, visa fees, and payment for fixers/translators.
The IWMF believes that gender does not conform to one notion. We are inclusive of all journalists who identify as women, which includes trans women, and non-binary people.
How to Apply
- The IWMF accepts applications once a year. Please keep this in mind when creating proposed project timelines.
- Due to the large influx of applications, the IWMF cannot answer questions by phone nor can we consider time-sensitive proposals.
- Please refer to the application closing date for each application cycle and expect grants to be disseminated 6 – 10 weeks following the application close.
- The IWMF is accepting applications via Submittable.
- Applicants may apply concurrently for Adelanté’s El Salvador Reporting Fellowship and the Mexico-Guatemala Cross-Border Reporting Fellowship.
Deadline: The deadline is December 16, 2019, at 11:59 PM EST.