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Invitation for the Forum
for African Investigative Reporters (FAIR)
Grants for African Investigative Journalists
Applications are invited from African
investigative journalists for two grants (consisting of 4000 Euro each)
for 2007. The Grants, which are funded by the Netherlands Institute on
Southern Africa (Niza), is intended to be used by a journalist for an
investigative journalism project that could not otherwise be carried out
for lack of time and/or resources on the part of the applicant.
Applications will have to match criteria around importance of the
subject in view of the public interest, newsworthiness and others.
1. Grants amount and purpose
There are two FAIR investigative grants for 2007, consisting of Eur 4000
each. They are to be used by natural persons who are working journalists
operating in Africa on the basis of an application for an investigative
journalism project that matches 9 criteria (see under 4).
2. Grants advertising
The invite for applications for the grants will be offered for attention
to the websites and, if any, to the hard copy publications of as many as
possible of the journalism (support) organisations that are engaged in
the development and advancement of journalism in Africa, particularly
sub-Saharan Africa. They will be advertized on the FAIR website
www.fairreporters.org and on the FAIR listserve. FAIR members will be
encouraged to announce the invite in the publications of the media
houses they work for, as well as on the websites they run, or have
connections with, in their countries in Africa. The announcement will
also specifically be communicated to FAIR funders and partners, for the
purpose of wider communication by these funders and partners within
their African media contact circles.
3. Applications rules
Applications (in writing only; see 4 for application criteria and
format) must be in before 15 January 2007. They will be adjudicated by
the FAIR advisory council before 15 February 2007. During that time,
applicants can be requested to furnish more information by the AC.
Selection of the two winning applications will be made by majority of
votes on the Advisory Council*. Though the Advisory Council may request
the applicant to furnish additional information, it will not accept
amendments to proposals after the application cut-off date. It will also
not enter into unsolicited dialogue with applicants, either before,
during or after the adjudication.
The Advisory Council will keep to strict confidentiality on applications
and adjudications at all times. The Advisory Councils’ decision is
final.
Winners will be informed of the adjudication outcome before the 1st of
March 2007 in writing, via email and if necessary by fax (applications
are to contain two email addresses, a fax number and one physical
address in order to ensure that communications are received). All other
applicants will receive emailed communications of the adjudication
result. Announcement of the winners will simultaneously be made to all
FAIR partners, members, media support groups, media houses, funders and
audiences as mentioned under 2. The pay out of the grants will take
place as follows: the requested amount for expenses will be paid out
immediately, together with half the amount of the envisaged
remuneration. The second half of the envisaged remuneration is to be
paid out on completion of the project by the applicant, and upon
submission of a detailed and satisfactory account of the use of the
expenses budget.
The project must be completed within six months from the date of
approval and first pay out, i.e. the 1st of September 2007. The
applicant can submit a request for a three month extension, which may or
may not be granted by the Advisory Council.
Applications should be submitted by email to facilitator@fairreporters.org
and by fax to the FAIR desk at the Wits Investigative Journalism
Workshop to ensure receipt by FAIR; FAIR will send out acknowledgements
to both email addresses provided. If no such acknowledgement is
received, applicants should contact the FAIR desk directly to reorganize
submission of the application.
Applications will be passed on by the FAIR desk to the Advisory Council
for adjudication. Nor the FAIR Board, which administrates the grants,
nor the fund donor organisation, Niza, will have a say in the
adjudication process: this is the sole prerogative of the FAIR Advisory
Council. As the adjudication process is out of the hands of FAIR and its
controlling structures, any FAIR member is entitled to apply for a
grant.
4. Applications criteria
Applications will be judged on the following nine criteria:
1.
The proposed subject must be an investigation of a societal ill
relevant to Africa. Though it can be an investigation into an issue in
one locality, subjects that are only relevant to one locality, or only
to a very specialized audience, are excluded. It has to be an issue the
investigation of which is clearly in the public interest in one or more
countries.
2.
The proposed investigation must envisage the use of investigative
methodologies, such as source building and data (physical or web-based)
searching.
3.
The proposed investigation must be the applicants own initiative
and the reason why the applicant chose the subject must be clearly
outlined.
4.
The proposed investigation must be viable and realistic.
5.
The envisaged end result must be newsworthy.
6.
The applicant must show investigative credibility, by experience
and/or by reference.
7.
The applicant must show that without financial support the
investigation would not take place.
8.
The applicant must show that an editor or publishing house will
be interested in publishing the envisaged end product.
9.
The applicant must show that the proposed investigation is time
consuming to the exctent that he/she could not do this without support.
10.
Refund of income after publication.
Where a FAIR Grant has been used to fund income for the applicant, any
income derived from the publication of the end result must be paid back
to the fund up to a limit of 50 % of the original grant.
6.Revoking of grants/payback
After the timeframe envisaged in the original application has passed,
and the envisaged publication has not taken place, the applicant will
have to present an explanation and progress report to FAIR, outlining
both reasons for the delay and a new timeframe. The explanation and the
proposed new timeframe will then be considered by the AC and either
approved or rejected. If rejected, the applicant will have to pay back
the grant.
If, in the explanation, the original investigative hypothesis has been
rephrased on the basis of found data which do not support the original
hypothesis, the AC reserves the right to approve the resulting new
investigation based on the rephrased hypothesis with a view to the
criteria, particularly 1, 4, 5 and 8.
Grantees will have to respond to questions on progress by the FAIR
Advisory Coucil if and when they are requested to do so; lack of
responsiveness may result in a decision by the FAIR Advisory Council to
revoke the grant, in which case the grant must be paid back
The applicant will also have to pay back the grant if it is found that
he/she lied in his/her application or if he/she broke the FAIR Grant
Rules in any way.
7. Grants evaluation
The grants will be re-evaluated by the end of September 2007. The FAIR
Board, in consultation with the FAIR AC, will then consider adjustments
and changes to the grants (number, amounts per grants, rules, etcetera)
if necessary and announce the new grants cycle, identical to the first
or in a revised format, by mid October 2007.
8. Application form format
The applications must be sent to: facilitator@fairreporters.org (email)
FAIR, 9 Jubilee Road, Houghton, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2041 (hard
copy mail). Personal data (including two email addresses, one fax
number, one postal address and at least one telephone number) and
banking data (1/2 page)
Form of envisaged output (article, series, book, radio/TV programme)
(1/2 page)
Outline of subject and investigative process as envisaged (2 pages)
Explanation of need of grant (1/2 page)
Timeline including expected publication (1/2 page)
Budget (including other sources of funds for the project; clear division
between expenses and fees)
Letter of intent from editor/publishing house
Experience and references (1/2 page)
FAIR will acknowledge receipt of all applications. If no such
acknowledgement is received within a week of submitting the application,
applicants are advised to contact FAIR. * The FAIR Advisory Council
consists of John Githongo, Gwen Lister, Patricia Made, Joe Hanlon and
Nixon Kariithi.
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