Proposal Guidelines
Deadline has passed for 2010.
Connection. Women are natural networkers. They know how to initiate and maintain relationships. This is the essence of the digital world.
Conversation. Women are listeners. And talkers. They ask the tough questions. This is the starting point for good journalism.
Creativity. Women give birth to new people and new ideas. They are resourceful and make things happen.
Change. Women are on the move. They adapt to new realities, seize opportunities and take risks to improve themselves and society.
J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism and the McCormick Foundation are seeking to fund four women-led projects that will rock the world of journalism.
We will fund individuals who have original ideas to create new Web sites, mobile news services or other entrepreneurial initiatives that offer interactive opportunities to engage, inspire and improve news and information in a geographic community or a community of interest.
What is your juicy idea? What’s been stirring in your mind? What work do you feel compelled to do? How can you improve or redefine journalism? What new project would give people the information they need to make decisions or help make the world a better place? Whose voice isn’t being heard?
The McCormick New Media Women Entrepreneurs program will give one-time funding of $12,000 to women who have the vision, skills and experience to launch a new venture. These can be solo ideas or team projects spearheaded by women.
Eligibility:
Funding is available for start-ups only.
- Projects must launch (at least a live beta) within 10 months.
- Projects must have a plan for continuing after initial funding has ended.
- Projects must have journalistic value.
- Projects may be independent or housed within traditional media.
- Personal blogs or one-time documentaries will not be funded.
- Awardees will receive funding through a subcontract if they are an individual or affiliated with a business; and through a grant if they are affiliated with a non-profit institution.
Strong applicants would:
- Provide information to help people live their lives or make informed civic choices.
- Adhere to principles of accuracy, truth and fairness.
- Advance women in the news industry.
- Show promise of being replicable or scalable.
Recipients must agree to post brief weekly blog updates to the www.newmediawomen.org Web site sharing their process and experience during the development stage. Recipients agree to participate and share lessons learned at a conference of new media women entrepreneurs in Spring 2011.
NOTE: Funding may not be used to cover indirect or overhead costs. Fiscal sponsors may not take a percentage of New Media Women funding.
Deadline has passed for 2010. Check back next year!
Comments
I enjoyed visiting the websites of your winners. What a fantastic opportunity! I look forward to getting my application to you in the coming weeks. Thank You!
-Sara Millman• Posted by FilmWorks7 on 02/08 at 08:02 AM
This is what I’ve been doing with my life and my proudest accomplishment to date. This does not allow you to edit the paragraph
Gretchen Hollingsworth
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)• Posted by Gretchen Hollingsworth on 02/22 at 03:24 PM
I have two questions about eligibility. The first is whether the funding is available only to US-based projects (WVON is based in the UK but has worldwide application). The second is about start-ups. Our project started up recently as a blog but we really want funding to set up a fullly-developed, comprehensive news website. Are we still eligible to apply?
• Posted by WVON on 02/28 at 11:50 AM
Thanks for your comments, Gretchen. These issues should be addressed now. Let me know if you have any other complications.
• Posted by Anna Tauzin on 03/03 at 01:16 PM
Anna, I lost the complete paragraph that I submitted in the “This is what I’ve been doing with my life and my proudest accomplishment to date. I pushed the “save application” button first, then went to print to get a copy of what I’d done thus far and nothing there. Also, problems with editing in this section.
Should I type it on a separte sheet and fax it when I submit the app?
Janet D. Leak
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)• Posted by womanscope on 03/04 at 07:32 PM
Question 4 substitutes information from Question 5. this I see this bug has been reported previously, however as of 1 p.m. (MT), March 6, it is still an issue. Anna, what do you advise?
• Posted by Retha Hill on 03/06 at 04:07 PM
I still am unable to save a draft without the substitutions mentioned above, and also today, no changes are saving.
• Posted by Corona del Mar Today on 03/07 at 01:01 PM
I think there are some glitches in the online application form. I submitted the application and then saw on the printed form that some answers were repeated in the wrong places instead of the answers I wrote.
• Posted by Jennifer Hopfinger on 03/10 at 01:57 PM
Where’s the link to apply? I hit apply and it keeps leaving me back here.
• Posted by lorifinnila on 03/16 at 07:21 PM
Hi everyone,
Issues with the application (specifically questions 4 and 5) should be fixed now.
Lori, I’m not sure where you are clicking, but the link to the application is here: http://www.newmediawomen.org/application/
Thanks!
-Anna
• Posted by Anna Tauzin on 03/19 at 12:26 PM
What a great opportunity and how inspiring to many writers who may have been close to giving up on pursing a dream. Very exciting time! I’m so glad ‘something’ told me to visit the journalismjobs website : )
• Posted by kparker504 on 03/20 at 01:46 PM
Hello,
This question was answered partly in the FAQs but I want to get more specific.
If the new media project is recent (I have a site that fully launches in April), is it still eligible for funding?
To qualify, would the proposal have to involve a new extension/addition of the site or can it be used to strengthen an already launched site.
• Posted by oob205 on 03/22 at 07:52 PM
Hello! I would like to get clarification on this guideline:
NOTE: Funding may not be used to cover indirect or overhead costsI believe that our budget for the project would include soundstage rental, paying cameramen, etc (unless those services are donated between now and the time we submit the application)...isn’t that considered overhead…
Please help.
• Posted by theyip on 03/28 at 09:21 PM
Is #2 correct? 300 characters allowed for “why the project is needed”?
• Posted by lshandle on 03/30 at 08:49 PM
Must the application be submitted as an individual or can it be submitted by a women led organization. When answering the question about what we have done to date should we speak about our organizational or individual accomplishments?
• Posted by SpiritHouse on 04/05 at 08:25 AM
oob205- Yes, it is still eligible for funding so long as you outline specifically how you would use the funds to propose new ideas or large, obtainable enhancements to the current project.
theyip- I think I answered you in an email, but for everyone else, overhead costs to us include payments to universities or other fiscal agents for their cut for administration fees; those can be very costly and we don’t want our awardees to use their funding to pay for that.
lshandle- Yes, that is correct. 300 characters. Short and snappy.
SpiritHouse- You can submit it either way, but if you apply as an organization, you should comment on the organization’s accomplishments to date. Also, we want to have an idea of who is behind the project, so you might want to include some information on the woman (or two.. or three) who will be spearheading the project.
• Posted by Anna Tauzin on 04/05 at 11:08 AM
Hello,
I haven’t seen anywhere in the guideline the mention of geographic conditions to apply to women-led projects. My project would first take place in the Balkans/ Macedonia - it would have effects on US, through Internet and the topic -> can this be considered that the project is eligible?
But I am not from US, and I only read “US-based” projects in a comment but I would like more informations about it.
Hope to hear clearer explanation about this point, before I actually apply.
Thanks in advance
Lea• Posted by Leaa on 04/07 at 08:31 AM
Can I apply from Armenia for a project to be implemented in Armenia ?Thanks in advance,
Seda• Posted by sedamuradyan on 04/08 at 08:16 AM
Leaa and Seda- Based on what you’ve said, your projects are not US-based and therefor not eligible for funding. Best of luck to you!
• Posted by Anna Tauzin on 04/09 at 02:02 PM
Uyen Nguyen and I just submitted our proposal for the integration of Vietnam Talking Points to OneVietnam Network. We think it can revolutionize the way news is delivered and motivate the Vietnamese community like never before. We really hope we have a shot! We hope you consider us for the grant as we know we can make this endeavor possible. We already have some successes, and we hope that get the funding to expand. Thank you so much. This site is very inspiring!
Check us out at: http://talk.onevietnam.org
• Posted by isabella.lai on 04/12 at 11:50 PM
Did anybody else have forehead-slapping moments after sumitting the grant appliclation?
I allotted part of my budget to travel but neglected to really explain why the travel was necessary! One possible way to continue funding after the grant monies have been used is to get the travel/music series portion of the project distributed on TV, so I need to have 3-4 demos.
I also left out my five years of work experience at a record company!
Anyway, this is a great opportunity. Some of the other proposals sound really interesting too; good luck everybody.
Vanessa Finney
• Posted by vfinney on 04/13 at 02:58 PM
@vfinney: Yes I definitely had the same ‘oh dang’ moments afterwards. It was my birthday and so I had a ton of distractions for the last 72 hours. I really could have written more about myself but I feel that I put my best effort forth. We just have to let it go and let it be. It’s out of our hands now. Best of luck to you!
• Posted by Nicole Moore on 04/13 at 03:46 PM
