Media organizations worldwide now have an opportunity to enhance their reporting on biodiversity issues due to a new grant initiative by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN),
The Biodiversity Media Initiative will provide funding and mentorship to media outlets dedicated to improving coverage of biodiversity challenges and their intersections with climate change and public health.
The grant announcement follows urgent calls for action at COP16 in Cali, Colombia, and COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2024, where experts emphasized the intertwined crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.
Despite scientific consensus on their interconnectedness, biodiversity conservation continues to receive significantly less media attention and funding than climate change initiatives.
EJN aims to address this gap by offering 3-4 grants, each ranging from 10,000 to 12,000 EUR, to eligible media organizations in low- and middle-income countries.
The grants will support projects that produce in-depth reporting on biodiversity threats and conservation solutions.
Selected organizations will also benefit from mentorship from experienced journalists throughout their projects.
Eligibility and Application Details
Media organizations in countries classified as either low- or middle-income by the World Bank are eligible to apply for this opportunity. These classifications can be reviewed on the EJN website.
Media organizations, journalist networks, academic institutions, and civil society organizations in biodiversity-rich regions or those experiencing severe biodiversity loss are encouraged to apply.
While NGOs and environmental groups may apply if they focus on journalist capacity-building, priority will be given to applicants directly affiliated with professional journalists and media organizations.
The opportunity is open to journalist networks, media organizations, civil society organizations, or academic institutions.
Applications rooted in advocacy or political campaigning will not be considered.
Applicants must have a working understanding of English or have a translator available to assist with communication with EJN staff.
Existing or former EJN grantees are eligible to apply, however organizations that were awarded grants to in 2024 are not eligible to apply.
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.
Project Scope and Priorities
Successful proposals should aim to:
- Build public awareness of biodiversity threats and conservation solutions.
- Expand the depth of biodiversity reporting through in-depth stories, investigative journalism, and cross-border collaborations.
- Train journalists through workshops, field trips, and the development of reporting resources.
- Innovate storytelling through mapping tools, data visualization, and new platforms.
- Strengthen journalist networks focused on biodiversity reporting.
- OECMs and other alternatives to protected areas that contribute to the Global Biodiversity Framework’s 30×30 target;
- Nature-based solutions that support biodiversity as well as other goals (climate change mitigation, food security, sustainable livelihoods, health, etc);
- Digital Sequence Information (DSI) and benefit sharing of genetic resources;
- Unintended harmful effects of conservation measures.
Selection Process
Grants will be awarded competitively through a judging process. The panel of judges will consist of Internews staff and experts in environmental reporting.
The jury will evaluate all eligible applications and make funding decisions based on the availability of funds, the program objectives, and the following assessment criteria:
- Overall quality of the proposal and effectiveness of the project design
- Relevance of the proposed project in contributing to the objectives and priorities of this grant program
- Potential of proposed project to bring about positive change
- Innovativeness of the proposed activities
- Financial viability and cost-effectiveness of the proposed project
- The ability of the applicant to carry it out
- The long-term sustainability of the project and the organization
- geographical spread of the grantees
Successful applicants will be notified in April 2025, with projects expected to commence in May 2025 and conclude by April 2026.
Grant logistics 
- All applicants must provide a detailed budget with justification for the requested amount as part of their application. The budgets should be reasonable and account for the costs necessary for project implementation.
- Applicants may use a portion of the grant to purchase equipment but should clearly state how the equipment will contribute to the expected outcomes, and it should make up no more than 10% of the overall budget.
- Applicants may also use the grant for staff costs, but staff costs amounting to more than 50% of the overall budget must be justified in the application.
- Applicants are permitted and encouraged to raise co-financing for the proposed activities, but it is not required. Applicants who have received any co-financing are required to indicate the amount and the source in their application.
- For projects that involve publishing stories or other material, please note that EJN, its partners, and the grant funder will be given rights to edit, publish, broadcast, and distribute those materials freely.
- Acknowledgement of EJN support: Published work must disclose EJN support by including the tagline: “This story was produced with support from Internews’ Earth Journalism Network.”
The submission deadline is March 30, 2025, at 11:59 PM (Pacific/Niue time).
For more details and application guidelines, visit the official EJN website https://earthjournalism.net/opportunities/biodiversity-media-grants-2025
About EJN
Earth Journalism Network (EJN), a project of Internews and Internews Europe, was established in 2004 to support journalists in low- and middle-income countries in covering environmental issues more effectively. Now a global network, EJN collaborates with reporters and media outlets worldwide.
EJN strengthens environmental journalism by providing training, workshops, fellowships, grants, and resources for media professionals. Its focus includes climate change, biodiversity, the ocean, and One Health, while also fostering journalist networks in regions lacking them.
