Bertha Foundation is excited to announce the launch of the fifth Bertha Challenge: an opportunity for activists and investigative journalists to spend a year working on one pressing social justice challenge and to deliver a body of work at the end of the Fellowship year. Successful applicants will receive non-residential paid Fellowships and project budgets to work independently and together to:
INVESTIGATE the causes of and solutions to the annual Bertha Challenge.
AMPLIFY their findings to a wider targeted audience.
CONNECT with diverse stakeholders for information, support and impact
The fifth Bertha Challenge will begin in January 2024 with a focus on disinformation and the climate crisis, specifically supporting Bertha Fellows to answer the following question: How is disinformation manipulating and distorting the impact of the human-caused climate crisis
How do disinformation campaigns help to protect corporate interests, the political status quo and allow for further industrial corruption, all of which prioritizes profit overs people and planet ?
Applications open on 30 May 2023 and close on 4 July 2023. Anyone meeting the selection criteria may apply.
To read more about our current cohort of Bertha Fellows visit the main Bertha Challenge page on our website.
At Bertha we know that many activists and investigative journalists are already doing groundbreaking work to investigate and amplify their work and to connect with each other. The Bertha Challenge aims to support this work by providing time to work exclusively on a focused project, the spaces in which to connect with a diverse global cohort of Bertha Fellows and partners, and the resources to develop and deliver tangible products that speak directly to the Challenge question.
Our Fellowships offer:
- Income for each Bertha Fellow for one year, not exceeding USD $64,900 and commensurate with the applicant’s current or equivalent salary at the host organization – ideally a media outlet for an investigative journalist and an NGO, community organization or social movement for an activist
- A Project Fund of up to USD $10,000 for each Bertha Fellow to produce a culminating product that responds to the question posed by the Bertha Challenge, and that is directed towards a specific audience. This could be a series of articles, videos, podcasts, games or drama productions, for example. Joint activist and journalist applicants will have the option to pool their project funding to produce projects on a larger scale
- Access to a Connect Fund of up to USD $5,000 specifically designed to encourage collaboration between Fellows
- Regular online discussions with topics on a range of issues from current debates around the Bertha Challenge question to methods of investigation, methods of communicating findings through news media, storytelling, popular education and more
- Peer and mentor support in the form of regular virtual check-ins with Bertha staff and a cohort of Bertha Fellows
- Network development through the global cohort of Bertha Fellows and exposure to relevant partners within and beyond the Bertha network
- A global convening of Bertha Fellows at the start of the Bertha Challenge.
The Bertha Challenge will launch in January 2024, with an opening convening scheduled for early in the Fellowship year at one of Bertha's partnered global retreat spaces, where Bertha Fellows will:
- Meet other Fellows in the Bertha Challenge 2024 cohort, spend dedicated time getting to know one another and get the opportunity to introduce individual work and perspectives
- Find opportunities to refine the design of each Fellow’s project work for the year within a supportive framework
- Discuss and frame possibilities for collaboration across the cohort
- Debate current developments and responses to the climate crisis
- Learn from practitioners about innovative ways of reaching target audiences.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST CRITERIA
- Mid-career journalists with at least five years' experience, a track record and passion for doing investigative journalism
- Strong interest and experience in producing work on the Bertha Challenge question and a proven ability to work with affected communities, social movements, community organizations, NGO’s, academics, scientists etc.
- Investigative journalism and research ability, a comprehensive understanding of the political landscape concerning the subject matter, an understanding of the law(s) and political structures determining policy direction and power
- An ability to work independently
- Affiliation to an appropriate host media organization that will publish/broadcast work produced during the Bertha Challenge.
PDF copies of the application forms can be viewed below. The PDFs are for reference only. Please use the links above to submit your application.
View the journalist application form as a PDF here. View the activists application form as a PDF here.
If you have questions about the application process, please have a look at the FAQs page. For any further enquiries, email berthachallenge@berthafoundation.org.
About Bertha Foundation
Bertha Foundation supports activists, storytellers and lawyers who work to bring about social and economic justice and human rights for all.
This program focuses on combining activists and investigative journalists working together.
The Bertha Challenge creates opportunities for activists and investigative journalists to amplify and accelerate their work in support of climate justice. Fellows are integral to the Bertha network and the selected activists and investigative journalists will act as bridges across regions to strengthen and embolden this important work.
Contact Us
Email berthachallenge@berthafoundation.org with any queries
www.berthafoundation.org
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