The 2025 Bertha Challenge Fellowship for Investigative Journalists and Activists is now accepting applications. The goal of this worldwide, paid fellowship is to identify and counteract misinformation and corruption that contribute to the climate catastrophe. Fellows will investigate and expose people who use climate deception to help politicians and corporations.
With great excitement, the Bertha Foundation is introducing its sixth Bertha Challenge, which gives activists and investigative journalists a year to take on a big social justice problem. Project budgets and non-residential paid fellowships will be awarded to fellows, allowing them to work independently and together on the yearly challenge issue. In order to have a lasting influence, they will also interact with stakeholders and share their findings with a larger audience. Acknowledging the unique responsibilities of activists and journalists, the fellowship promotes cooperation while maintaining independence and honesty. The fellows will break down professional silos by learning new methods of collaboration. Beyond the fellowship year, the program helps mid-career professionals continue to build their networks, foster meaningful work, and encourage debate.
Eligibility Criteria:
For activists:
- A minimum of five years of experience working with grassroots organizations, social justice campaigns, community organizations, activists, or social movements is required of applicants.
- Candidates should be well-connected to progressive government officials, journalists, academics, community organizations, social movements, and NGOs in their nation, city, or region.
- Candidates should have prior experience creating instructional materials or organizing tools, such as publications, training manuals, brochures, movies, podcasts, theater plays, and so on.
- Candidates must to have prior advocacy experience with the media, research, and legal system.
- A connection to a suitable host organization is required of applicants in order to improve work output during the Bertha Challenge.
For investigative journalists:
- Journalists in the middle of their careers who have at least five years of investigative reporting experience should apply.
- Candidates must to be very interested in the Bertha Challenge question and have previous experience working with scientists, NGOs, academia, communities, and social movements.
- Candidates should have a solid background in research and investigative journalism, a grasp of the political environment around the topic, and an awareness of the laws and political processes that affect power and policy.
- Candidates ought to be capable of working on their own.
Benefits:
- A one-year stipend up to USD $64,900 will be awarded to each Bertha Fellow, matching their existing pay at the host organization.
- Up to $10,000 in project money will be awarded to fellows to develop a product—such as articles, podcasts, films, games, or theatrical productions—that answers the Bertha Challenge question. Funds might be pooled by journalists and campaigners for bigger projects.
- To promote cooperation amongst Fellows, a connect money of up to $5,000 USD will be awarded to each fellow.
- Fellows will engage in frequent online dialogues concerning the Bertha Challenge query, research techniques, narrative structures, and disseminating results.
- The Bertha team and fellow cohort members will virtually check in with fellow fellows to provide peer and mentor support.
- Through the international Bertha Fellows cohort of 2025, fellows will have chances for exposure to to partners within and beyond the Bertha network.
Deadline: July 12, 2024
