Tag Archives: funding

Corporation for Public Broadcasting Launches New Local Journalism Initiative

Lots of hiring is promised at the stations that received this funding. Seems like a step in the right direction for revitalizing local media.

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http://cpb.org/pressroom/release.php?prn=814

For Immediate Release March 25, 2010

Corporation for Public Broadcasting Launches New Local Journalism Initiative

Regional Collaborations to Counter Decline of Local Journalism

Digital Public Media Platform to Support Innovation

Washington, DC — The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) today announced funding for a major journalism initiative that will increase original local reporting capacity in seven regions around the country, and a planning project to develop an open information architecture to harness the collective power of the public media network.

CPB is funding the creation of seven Local Journalism Centers (LJCs), combining CPB and participating stations’ resources for a ground-breaking new approach to newsgathering and its distribution. The Centers will form teams of multimedia journalists, who will focus on issues of particular relevance to each region; their in-depth reports will be presented regionally and nationally via digital platforms, community engagement programs and radio and television broadcasts.

The LJC initiative builds on CPB’s long-standing commitment to journalism and its ongoing funding of public media news and public affairs content and initiatives, including Project Argo, a pilot effort funded jointly with the Knight Foundation to enable a dozen NPR and PBS stations to expand their reporting and increase their expertise on topics of local relevance.

“The Local Journalism Centers will enhance public media’s ability to meet the information needs of local communities at a time when access to high quality, original reporting is declining,” Patricia Harrison, the CEO and President of CPB said. “Public media has long provided independent and in-depth coverage of local issues and public policy. The need for that coverage is even greater today, and we have a responsibility to ensure that journalism can continue to thrive and serve the needs of our democracy.

“These radio and television stations are locally owned and operated and work in partnership with other community-based organizations,” Ms. Harrison explained. “Working together with stations across a region, along with emerging new digital journalism organizations, they can make a significant contribution to news gathering and distribution, which is critical to the information health of these communities.”

“In a time when newspapers and other media organizations are cutting back or disappearing altogether, public media is strengthening its commitment to journalism,” said PBS President and CEO Paula A. Kerger. “We’re putting our innovative spirit and strong local and national infrastructure to work for the American people in new ways – filling gaps in news coverage and using new platforms to ensure everyone has access to the most trusted source for in-depth reporting, analysis and investigative journalism. PBS is proud to collaborate with CPB, NPR, our member stations and emerging digital journalism organizations across the country to transform community engagement and information.”

In addition, CPB also announced funding for the Public Media Platform, a project administered by NPR, in partnership with PBS, APM, PRI and PRX. This coalition of public media leaders will develop a prototype for a flexible common platform to support public media innovation and collaboration. The ultimate goal is to collect, distribute, present and monetize digital media content efficiently, allowing producers and stations to devote their resources to reporting, content production and community engagement.

Vivian Schiller, President and CEO of NPR, said, “These two initiatives represent the twin paths that public media must travel – expanded original news reporting, and state of the art tools and technology to get that content into the hands of more people. CPB’s investments in these two innovative programs ultimately serve those goals, and the interests of the American people.”

McCloy Fellowships in Journalism

Fellowship opportunity for journalists in all media – details below. -Mia

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2010 McCloy Fellowships in Journalism – Call for Applications

Application Postmark Deadline: Friday, April 30, 2010

Questions? Contact Robin Cammarota, Fellowship Coordinator, at 212-826-3636 or rcammarota@acgusa.org. Applications via e-mail are welcome.

The American Council on Germany is seeking applications for the McCloy Fellowships in Journalism. McCloy Fellowships provide American print, broadcast, and new-media journalists in relatively early stages of their careers with the opportunity to travel overseas to conduct on-site research and interviews and pursue stories of their own design. Fellows travel to Germany and/or other EU27 countries, provided that the project bears relevance for contemporary Germany within the wider EU context. The fellowship provides a stipend in the amount of $200 per day for up to 21 days abroad; transatlantic airfare and pre-approved inter-city travel are also covered. Fellowships may be extended for up to 7 additional days if a compelling need for additional time is demonstrated.

Past fellows have explored issues such as immigration and integration in Germany, energy security and climate change policy, Germany’s Jewish renaissance, European labor policy, architecture and national identity, and comparative perspectives on a wide range of public policy issues, from health care to education.

Fellows are chosen through a competitive process by a jury of distinguished journalists, including William M. Drozdiak, President of the American Council on Germany and former Chief European Correspondent for The Washington Post; Josh Friedman, Director of International Programs at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting; and Michael Parks, Professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and also a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting.

Journalists attached to media organizations are encouraged to apply. Freelance journalists are asked to demonstrate where resulting articles and/or related pieces could be placed. Applicants must hold U.S. citizenship. At least one fellowship in 2010 will be awarded to a student enrolled in a graduate program in journalism at the time of application.

To apply, please submit: a cover letter outlining your personal and professional objectives for the fellowship; a project proposal of at least two pages detailing the background and scope of your project, the general sources and institutions with whom you would like to consult while abroad, and the relevance of the project for transatlantic relations; a current resume; two letters of recommendation; and (if applicable) a statement outlining why an extension beyond 21 days is preferred to:

Selection Committee, McCloy Fellowships in Journalism American Council on Germany 14 East 60th Street, Suite 1000 New York, NY 10022

Application Postmark Deadline: Friday, April 30, 2010

For more information, please visit www.acgusa.org or contact Robin Cammarota, Fellowship Coordinator, at 212-826-3636 or rcammarota@acgusa.org. Applications via e-mail are welcome.

New Voices Grants and New Media Women Entrepreneurs Grants

I know some of our members have gotten funding from j-lab in the past. Details below. -mia ____________________________

From our friends at J-lab:

Call for Proposals: 2010 New Voices Grants It’s time again to submit your proposal for a project to improve your community news landscape. J-Lab will award 8 grants of up to $25,000 each to launch new community news efforts. Are you ready to make the media you wish to see in the world? Deadline: March 1, 2010

Read the FAQs and Guidelines: http://www.j-newvoices.org/site/story/2010rfp/

APPLY NOW: http://www.j-newvoices.org/site/story/online_application/

2010 New Media Women Entrepreneurs Grants: Seeking Fresh Ideas for Journalism J-Lab will give four women-led projects $12,000 each in start-up funding in 2010. New forms of journalism are being created where online local news sites have launched to report on their communities. The journalism is characterized by a deliberate shift in the definition of objectivity and broader definitions of “news” that seek to connect readers to a sense of the place where they live.

Read the Guidelines: http://www.newmediawomen.org/site/proposal_guidelines/ APPLY NOW: http://www.newmediawomen.org/application/

NEH upcoming application deadlines

Good information to have on file. -Mia

The Division of Public Programs at the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities funds radio, television, and digital projects in the humanities that are intended for public audiences.

New application guidelines are now posted on the NEH Web site (www.neh.gov) for America’s Media Makers: Development and Production grants. The next two deadlines are January 13, 2010, and August 18, 2010.

Program officers in the Division of Public Programs are available to assist you, whether it is to discuss project ideas or to read a draft proposal. Please call the NEH Division of Public Programs (202-606-8269) or contact a program officer directly. Below are the names and contact information for the Division’s program officers:

Barbara Bays, 202-606-8290, bbays@neh.gov Bonnie Gould, 202-606-8307, bgould@neh.gov Jeff Hardwick, 202-606-8287, jhardwick@neh.gov Clay Lewis, 202-606-8288, clewis@neh.gov David Martz, 202-606-8297, dmartz@neh.gov John Meredith, 202-606-8218, jmeredith@neh.gov Karen Mittelman, 202-606-8631, kmittelman@neh.gov Kathleen Mulvaney, 202-606-8270, kmulvaney@neh.gov Danielle Shapiro, 202-606-8241, dshapiro@neh.gov Michael Shirley, 202-606-8293, mshirley@neh.gov David Weinstein, 202-606-8308, dweinstein@neh.gov

Thank you.

help from politicians?

While it looks like Aimee Allison is not going to defeat Pat Kernighan in the District 2 City Council race, she still might be a helpful ally in developing a small business in Oakland.

From her campaign website:

Support Small and Local Businesses
• Adopt a plan to attract retail that will include development of key neighborhood business districts like the Grand Lake, Eastlake, Chinatown, and 23rd Avenue
• Encourage Oaklanders to develop independent businesses
• Provide marketing and promotions grant and loans to merchant associations
• Encourage successful, well run small businesses to open a second or third site in Oakland (e.g. coffee shops/restaurants)

other resources and possible supporters

Craigslist Foundation – the non-profit branch of craigslist which provides resources and workshops for other non-profits. My friend Wendy knows the Executive Director, Darian Heyman. They do a non-profit boot camp every year in SF and NYC. I missed it this year, but I might make it a goal to attend the SF camp next summer.

Incubator.com is not exactly the kind of support I’m looking for, but who knows… maybe we can draw these hi-tech/startup-focused investors over to the non-for-profit side. Plus, this organization is based in Rensselaer, NY, so maybe they’d be willing to make an exception for a hometown girl. (Or maybe we can skip the whole non-profit thing and go for the big bucks!)

Here’s google search for “bay area incubator.” I haven’t had time to look through these carefully yet.

And here’s a google search for “east bay incubator.” Some good stuff in here about local businesses.

EastBay Works is primarily a career search organization, but there’s some good stuff here about starting your own business.

Oakland Chamber of Commerce – I don’t think my idea will be as appealing to Mayor Jerry Brown as, say, a shiny new big box store, but he’s on his way out anyway… This site includes a Small Business Resource Directory.