Jamma Conservation and Communities, a philanthropic organisation dedicated to driving change in conservation, community development, and wellbeing, has opened applications for its Human-Centred Conservation Storytelling Grant, offering up to US$12,000 to experienced journalists, filmmakers, photographers, and audio storytellers to produce high-quality stories examining conservation through the experiences and realities of people across Africa.
The grant programme, which opened on September 1, 2026, is designed to support publishable journalism and storytelling that places people, their rights, livelihoods, knowledge, and choices at the centre of narratives about conservation.
Applications will close on September 29, 2026, at 23:59 GMT.
The organization noted that the initiative responds to the tendency for conservation narratives to be presented in overly simplified or sentimental ways, without sufficient attention to the social, political, and economic circumstances in which conservation takes place.
It explained that the grant seeks stories that explore conservation as it is “lived and experienced by people”, recognising that conservation outcomes are influenced not only by ecological factors but also by governance, resource access, livelihoods, culture, and people’s relationships with wildlife and natural resources.
The programme is specifically intended for experienced storytellers who already work to professional editorial standards and have the access, skills, and capacity to produce work suitable for publication or broadcast through established media platforms.
Jamma said it is looking for original stories that examine where human-centred conservation approaches are working and the factors enabling their success, as well as situations where their absence is undermining conservation outcomes.
It is also interested in stories exploring the tensions, trade-offs, and lived experiences between conservation successes and failures.
The grant does not prescribe a particular format or storytelling angle and potential themes include governance, resource use, livelihoods, coexistence with wildlife, food systems, energy, health, climate adaptation, and land-use decisions.
The organisation said it would welcome stories of hope, innovation, and resilience, as well as reporting that exposes challenges, contradictions, and unintended consequences.
It stressed that the programme is intended to support journalism and storytelling rather than promotional or advocacy material, adding that it would not support generic wildlife stories lacking a strong human dimension, simplistic accounts portraying conservation as either entirely successful or entirely unsuccessful, stories stripped of their social, political, or economic context, or material produced primarily for organisational communications or marketing purposes.
Applicants are expected to demonstrate careful thinking and reporting, curiosity, depth, respect for complexity, and attention to how conservation is experienced by people.
The grant has three funding categories, namely Tier 1, which offers up to US$5,000 for written, audio, or single-format stories; Tier 2, offering up to US$8,000 and intended for multi-part stories or more complex reporting projects; and Tier 3, which provides up to US$12,000 for visual or film-based projects.
Jamma said applicants do not have to request the maximum amount available under a particular tier, adding that proposed budgets will be assessed for realism and proportionality.
A notable feature of the programme is its requirement that applicants already have a credible and established route to publication, broadcast, or distribution.
Thus, eligible applicants must either have a confirmed commitment from an established media outlet, broadcaster, or distribution platform; be applying on behalf of, or possess publishing or commissioning authority within, the outlet that will publish the work; or intend to publish it through their own established independent platform with an existing audience.
Applicants will be required to provide evidence of their proposed publication or distribution pathway, a requirement that appears designed to ensure that grant-supported work reaches an audience rather than remaining unpublished.
Applicants are required to submit their applications online, including a short story pitch, examples of previous work, information and supporting evidence concerning the proposed publication, broadcast, or distribution pathway, and a summary budget corresponding to the selected funding tier.
Jamma said the process is competitive and that only applications meeting the eligibility requirements will proceed to review. However, previous applicants are permitted to apply again, but must submit a new application because changes have been made to the application form and the information required.
Applications will be assessed by a selection panel based on four principal criteria, namely the quality and clarity of the story pitch, alignment with the principles of Human-Centred Conservation, evidence of professional experience and editorial readiness, and the feasibility and realism of the proposed budget.
Jamma cautioned that meeting the eligibility requirements does not guarantee funding, as not all eligible applications will be successful.
More application information is available at https://bit.ly/4iJmgx5.
