Apply for a Louise Behan Reporting Grant

If you live in a lower income country and are passionate about a science story you are pursuing, apply for a Louise Behan Reporting Grant to help you reach your goal. As part of the WFSJ’s longstanding commitment to training journalists in all parts of the world, this initiative supports those in the Global South who are reporting on matters of interest in their country or region.

Depending on the volume and quality of entries, two or three awards of between US$750 and US$1,000 will be made annually. This support is intended to enhance the career of each recipient, as well as to enhance the quality of science journalism in the recipient’s country. It is an objective that was strongly held by the late Louise Behan, who spent her career with Canada’s International Development Research Centre and provided money from her estate to create this grant program.

To qualify, you must be working in a country the World Bank defines as lower income. To determine if your country qualifies, please consult these lists for low, lower-middle, and middle income.

Extensive experience in science reporting is not essential, but you will be asked to provide links to any material that you have published or broadcast during the course of your career.

Your proposal does not need to be new; it could be an addition to work you have already begun or completed.

Your work can be in print, radio, television, or some form of on-line presentation, but above all, it must meet the basic criteria of science journalism. This means you are operating independently of any non-media organization that could influence your reporting. Your work should also emphasize themes of science, technology, or medicine above other aspects of your narrative, which should be based on information drawn from original interviews you have conducted with people working in the field.

Ready to apply?

Please send a brief message with your expression of interest to office@wfsj.org We will be pleased to send you an application form you can fill out in detail.

Deadline

All expressions of interest should be submitted before 31 March 2022. An international panel of science journalists will review all entries and the successful applicants will be announced by 30 April 2022