Proposal Guidelines
Deadline: April 12, 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.
Start Your Application
Deadline: April 12, 2010
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
Greetings, I have been working on my application, and
noted that #4 What have you been doing with your life?
NEVER GOT PRINTED, but was substituted with a copy
of #5 - which is, I think, the plan for outreach. Anyhow,
there are some glitches in your online application form.Can you let me know when you’ve got those things
handled? THANK YOU VERY MUCH.Lynn Feinerman
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)• Posted by Lynn Feinerman on 02/10 at 04:30 PM
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
Also when you print the application, it shows $10,000 not $12,000 for the heading.
Gretchen Hollingsworth
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)• Posted by Gretchen Hollingsworth on 02/22 at 03:25 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
