Deadline: 12 July 2024

Applications are now open for the Bertha Challenge Fellowship 2025 for activists and investigative journalists . This is an opportunity for activists and investigative journalists to spend a year working on a pressing social justice challenge and deliver a body of work at the end of the fellowship year. Successful applicants will receive paid non-residential fellowships and project budgets to work independently and together towards:

• Investigate the causes and solutions to the annual Bertha Challenge question
• Amplify your findings to a wider audience
• Connect with different stakeholders for information, support and sustainable impact

The sixth Bertha Challenge will begin in January 2025 with a focus on agriculture and the climate crisis. They invite investigative journalists and activists to apply for the Bertha Challenge Fellowship with a project that answers the following question:

How does the interconnection between business interests and the creation of political power contribute to the global climate crisis and what are people and communities doing to expose and combat this?

Benefits

The scholarships offer:

• Income for each Bertha Fellow for one year, not exceeding US$ 64,900 and proportional to the candidate's current salary or equivalent in the host organisation - preferably a media outlet for an investigative journalist and an NGO, community organisation or social movement for an activist.
• A Project Fund of up to US$ 10,000 for each Bertha Fellow to produce a culminating product that answers the question posed by the Bertha Challenge and is targeted at a specific audience. This could be a series of articles, videos, podcasts, games or dramatic productions, for example. Joint activist and journalist applicants will have the option of pooling their project funding to produce larger-scale projects.
• Access to a Connect Fund of up to US$ 5,000, designed specifically to encourage collaboration between scholars.
• Regular online discussions with topics on a range of issues, from current debates around the Bertha Challenge question to research methods, methods of communicating findings through the news media, storytelling, popular education and much more.
• Peer and mentor support in the form of regular virtual check-ins with Bertha staff and a group of Bertha Fellows.
• Network development through the global Bertha Fellows group and exposure to relevant partners inside and outside the Bertha network.
• A global meeting of Bertha Fellows at the start of the Bertha Challenge.

Eligibility

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For activists

• At least five years' experience working with activists, social movements, grassroots and community organisations, social justice organisations or campaigns.
• Strong connections with a wide range of relevant groups in the scholar's city, country or region, including social movements, community organisations, NGOs, academics, journalists, progressive government officials, etc.
• Experience in developing organisational tools or popular educational products and materials, e.g. training courses, publications, pamphlets, films, podcasts, arts, theatre productions, etc.
• Experience in the use of research, the media and the law in the defence of rights.
• Membership of an appropriate host organisation to extend the work produced during the Bertha Challenge.

For investigative journalists

• Mid-career journalists with at least five years' experience, a track record and a passion for investigative journalism.
• Strong interest and experience in producing work on the Bertha Challenge issue and a proven ability to work with affected communities, social movements, community organisations, NGOs, academics, scientists, etc. 
• Investigative journalism and research skills, a comprehensive understanding of the political landscape relating to the subject, an understanding of the law(s) and political structures that determine political direction and power.
• Ability to work independently.
• Affiliation with an appropriate host media organisation that will publish/broadcast work produced during the Bertha Challenge.

Application

• Activists to sign up here
• Investigative journalists sign up here

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For more information, visit Bertha Challenge Fellowship .