Apply Now for Biodiversity Story Grants 2025 by Earth Journalism Network, EJN is now inviting applications for its reporting grants, aimed at supporting journalists in producing comprehensive stories focused on biodiversity. For many years, scientists have been sounding the alarm about the rapidly worsening biodiversity crisis. In fact, global wildlife populations have decreased by an average of 73% over the last five decades, and nearly one million species across ecosystems—both terrestrial and marine—face the threat of extinction in the coming years.
Applicants are urged to read all the details regarding eligibility and the application process carefully, as they contain critical information. Those interested in applying should thoroughly review the complete program guidelines and ensure they submit their applications on or before April 29, 2025.
Last Date of Submission: 29th April 2025
Grant Range: 2000 Euro
Overview (Apply Now for Biodiversity Story Grants 2025 by Earth Journalism Network)
For years, scientists have raised the alarm over the accelerating biodiversity crisis. Wildlife has declined on average 73% globally over the past 50 years, and one million species across land and sea are at risk of extinction in the coming decades. From continued investment in companies linked to deforestation to the bleaching of coral reefs due to climate change, the causes of this biodiversity loss are multitudinous and ultimately human. Yet the world is moving at a snail’s pace to protect what remains. Following the lack of quorum and breakdown of talks during the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in Cali, Colombia last year, negotiations continued in Rome, Italy, in February 2025 with the aim of finalizing concrete outcomes.
Despite a breakthrough agreement on a strategy to mobilize $200bn to assist low- and middle-income countries to conserve their biodiversity, and tears of relief from COP16 President Susana Muhamad, there were abundant warnings that steps made at resumed negotiations were not the immense leaps needed to slow the current rate of biodiversity loss.
The Global Biodiversity Framework’s (GBF) 23 target deadlines are a mere five years away, nearly three-quarters of countries have still not submitted their revised national biodiversity action plans, and a recent report revealed that more than half of the countries that have submitted their plans have not aligned them with the GBF’s target of protecting 30% of land and seas by 2030.
To ensure that local audiences have access to trusted, timely and accurate information on the current critical state of biodiversity, EJN’s Biodiversity Media Initiative is offering 5-10 story grants to increase the quality and quantity of biodiversity coverage, and to highlight the overwhelming threats to our natural world as well as promising or proven solutions.
Funding Information (Apply Now for Biodiversity Story Grants 2025 by Earth Journalism Network)
We expect to award up to 10 grants with an average budget of 1,000-2,000 EUR each.
We plan to issue grants in May 2025 with the expectation that all stories will be published by December 1, 2025, though longer timelines may be considered for more in-depth reporting approaches. Applicants should consider this when drafting their workplan.
Story Themes (Apply Now for Biodiversity Story Grants 2025 by Earth Journalism Network)
For this grant opportunity, we are interested in pitches for ambitious stories that make use of innovative multimedia, collaborative, cross-border or investigative approaches to deepen coverage of biodiversity or conservation topics. Proposals that use data journalism and geojournalism are also encouraged.
- This year, themes we are interested in supporting include (but are not limited to):
- Under-reported stories of trade and trafficking of endangered flora and fauna and its impacts
- New methods to track environmental crimes such as illegal mining and logging, and other drivers of biodiversity loss
- New or little-known threats to species diversity, e.g. cryptocurrency mining, seabed mining
- Biodiversity credits or biodiversity offsets
- Biodiversity and conservation in urban areas
- OECMs (other effective area-based conservation measures)
- Innovative, potentially scalable conservation solutions led by communities, governments or corporations
- Efforts to boost “green” and “blue” economies to enable development that conserves rather than exploits the environment
- New or proposed policies which could be either harmful or beneficial to biodiversity
- Benefit-sharing from digital sequence information and its possibilities and risks
- Misinformation or misunderstandings around certain species
As we are looking to raise global awareness about new threats or solutions, proposals that focus on topics or stories that have not been widely covered are preferred. Issues that have already received a lot of media coverage or don’t provide unique angles are less likely to be selected.
You can read published stories supported by the Biodiversity Media Initiative in previous years here. Please refrain from submitting pitches that have already been covered in past grant rounds.
Eligibility (Apply Now for Biodiversity Story Grants 2025 by Earth Journalism Network)
- For the purposes of this grant call, we are only accepting applications for stories focused on countries classified as low- or middle-income by the World Bank. Those countries are listed here, though journalists from any country can apply.
- We would like to hear from applicants based in countries in which we have not offered grants to previously. We encourage applications in particular from West Africa, Central America, the Caribbean, and specifically from the following countries: Dominican Republic, Honduras and Kyrgyzstan.
- We are especially interested in supporting projects in biodiversity-rich regions of the world, or projects in countries facing unprecedented biodiversity loss.
- Groups of journalists are eligible. However, the application must be made in the name of one lead applicant. Lead applicants are responsible for communicating with EJN and receiving funds on the group’s behalf, if awarded.
- For the purposes of this grant opportunity, we will only be accepting applications in English. Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to consider applications in other languages at this time. Applicants must either have a working understanding of English or have a translator available to assist with communication with Internews staff.
- Applications are open to journalists working in any medium (online, print, television, radio) and other expert media practitioners with professional reporting experience. We welcome applications from early-career journalists and experienced reporters with a track record of covering biodiversity issues. We encourage applications from freelance reporters and staff from all types of media organizations—international, national, local and community-based.
- Applicants are required to be transparent about the use of generative AI tools, if any, to revise their proposals. EJN reserves the right to disqualify applicants from consideration if they have been found to have engaged in unethical or improper professional conduct, including, but not limited to, submitting AI-generated content as their own.
How to Apply?
You are welcome to submit an application on behalf of your organization electronically by clicking “Apply here”.
Get full access to the grant information, visit the Official Website Link
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