Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation Announces $1.24 Million in Awards

OKLAHOMA CITY — Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation (EEJF) announced today the distribution of $1.24 million in grants to 18 journalism organizations nationwide.

Founded by Edith Kinney Gaylord, Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation’s mission is to invest in the future of journalism by building the ethics, skills and opportunities needed to advance principled, probing news and information.

“We are encouraged by the tremendous progress of our portfolio of investigative news organization grantees across the United States,” said Bob Ross, President and CEO of Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.   “We continue to work toward identifying successful non-profit investigative journalism models that enable local journalism to thrive.”

The following grants were awarded to organizations for projects addressing the foundation’s core areas of focus:

Investigative Reporting

• $100,000 to Fund for Investigative Journalism for grants to independent investigative reporters.
• $100,000 to InvestigateWest for general support of original investigative reporting on issues of public consequence in the Northwest.
• $100,000 to The Lens for general support of efforts to increase community dialogue about land use, criminal justice, education, environment, government and politics in New Orleans.
• $100,000 to Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism in support of their work in promoting journalistic ethics, financial transparency and educating University of Wisconsin-Madison students.
• $75,000 to FairWarning for general support of online investigative news focused on public health, safety and corporate conduct.
• $75,000 to I-News at Rocky Mountain PBS for growing a sustainable membership.
• $75,000 to Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism for general support of IowaWatch and efforts to build a sustainable business model.
• $75,000 to Kentucky Center For Public Service Journalism for start-up support of NKyTribune.com, an online-only nonprofit newspaper serving Northern Kentucky.
• $75,000 to St. Louis Public Radio to establish an investigative unit in the newsroom with expertise in data analysis and public records requests.
• $50,000 to Carolina Public Press to hire a managing editor to implement content strategies, manage reporting efforts, and oversee digital publishing programs.

Professional Development

• $100,000 to Investigative Reporters and Editors for Better Watchdog Workshops, arming journalists with tools to hold government and business accountable.
• $100,000 to Poynter Institute to embed faculty at innovative organizations to learn and share effective business strategies with nonprofit news sites.
• $40,000 to Online News Association to create an open-source digital toolkit including tools that will allow journalists to customize, implement and publish a digital ethics code.
• $25,000 to Associated Press Media Editors Foundation for NewsTrain.
• $25,000 to Society for News Design Foundation for iPad/Tablet Training workshops. 

Youth Education

• $50,000 to University of New Mexico for New Mexico News Port, a UNM Communication and Journalism Department collaboration with outside media partners.
• $40,000 to Fund for American Studies for the Institute on Political Journalism, introducing aspiring college journalists to the principles of free market economics and ethics while providing practical experience in political journalism.
• $35,000 to Rose State College to create a centralized Mass Communication Center incorporating a news room, broadcast studio, and computer lab.

To learn more about projects funded by Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation visit http://inasmuchfoundation.org/category/eejf/ or call 405-604-5388.