Guidelines

Note: OSI is no longer accepting applications for this program.

The Open Society Institute (OSI) offers a fellowship competition in response to critical issues laid bare by Hurricane Katrina. Katrina�s aftermath placed in sharp relief persistent problems of poverty, racism, and government neglect plaguing the United States. Just five months after the destruction of New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Region, the public�s attention has, for the most part, shifted elsewhere. By supporting in-depth journalism and media projects, OSI aims to stimulate and sustain a national conversation on these issues.

The Katrina Media Fellowships will support dynamic print and radio journalists, photographers, and documentary filmmakers to generate and improve media coverage of issues in the Gulf Region exposed by Katrina. Applicants should propose projects that will expand and deepen the public�s understanding of race and class inequalities in the United States. Applicants may also propose projects that will address the government�s response to problems caused or illuminated by Katrina, the use or misuse of public funds, the role of private contractors, the effectiveness of clean-up and rebuilding efforts, citizen involvement in these efforts and lessons learned that should inform the handling of future natural and man-made disasters. In addition, applicants may propose projects that draw attention to OSI�s current or past programmatic priorities using Katrina as the frame. These priorities include access to legal services and government assistance, criminal justice reform, improving end-of-life care and access to health care, and education reform.

The fellowship term is one year. OSI expects fellows to research, write, photograph, produce, and film stories during the fellowship term. OSI will offer limited technical assistance in placing and leveraging fellows� work and brokering partnerships between fellows and relevant media, advocacy, and social justice organizations.

The Katrina Media Fellowships are a one-time competition and will not be offered in subsequent years.

Awards

OSI expects to award 12�15 fellowships in mid-May 2006. Fellows will receive between $15,000�$35,000 to carry out projects in print, radio, photography, and documentary film and video production. Award amounts will cover a stipend and project expenses and will vary depending on the project duration, medium, and costs involved. The fellowship term begins June 15, 2006.

Eligibility

Applicants must be mid-career or veteran print or radio journalists, photographers, or documentary filmmakers with proven track records as serious media-makers. Applicants may be affiliated with news organizations or may be freelance journalists, photographers, or filmmakers. They should have well-established records of publication, dissemination, or broadcast in regional or national markets. Applicants may or may not have begun the proposed project already. Fellows are expected to publish, produce, broadcast, or exhibit their work and the number of works should be determined at the outset of the fellowship. Applicants may apply jointly but the fellowship award will still not exceed $35,000.

OSI will give special consideration to applicants who have been displaced from or are residents of the Gulf Region.

OSI cannot support lobbying activities. Projects that include lobbying activities will not be funded.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be evaluated on the extent to which the applicant possesses the vision, drive, and skills needed to generate compelling stories that will broaden and deepen public understanding and prompt policy responses on the proposed topic.

The selection committee will evaluate applications and consider the following:

The Project

Does the project focus on a topic that draws attention to race and class inequalities or other issues of importance to OSI brought to light by Katrina?
Will the project be sufficiently compelling and original in its topic or approach to engage the public and encourage policy responses to the problem illuminated?
What is the potential national, regional, or local significance of the project?
Does the project meet the editorial and production standards of publications and broadcast outlets in major regional or national markets?
Does the budget realistically reflect actual costs of the project?

The Applicant

Does the applicant demonstrate the professional skills, experience, and discipline needed to accomplish the project in a timely and cost-effective manner?
Does the applicant have a demonstrated commitment to and understanding of the issues he or she proposes to document?
What do the letters of recommendation underscore about the applicant�s talent, ability to find and tell stories, and the likely success of completing the project?

The Dissemination

Are the proposed stories likely to engage and move the public and policymakers?
Is the distribution plan sufficiently realistic and viable for reaching the target audience(s)?
Does the distribution plan reach beyond traditional outlets (e.g. educational, grassroots, community, or other targeted venues)?
Does the distribution plan involve strategic partnerships with innovative advocacy, social justice, or media-focused NGOs?

Deadline

Completed applications and all supporting materials, including letters of recommendation and samples of work, must be assembled in one package and received by OSI by 5PM EST on Friday, March 31, 2006. Applicants who are selected as finalists may be interviewed by phone in late April or early May.

Application Information

Please assemble the following documents, in the order listed below, into one original set; write the applicant's last name and the page number on the upper right-hand corner of each page; make five photocopies of the original set; and place the six complete sets, along with the confidential letters of recommendation, in an envelope.

A completed application form (see below).
A resume and CV, which includes a list of applicant's published, exhibited or broadcast work. Please include titles, publications, exhibitions, awards, festivals or other outlets along with dates for each.
A three- to four-page, single-spaced proposal containing the following items, in this order:

a. a synopsis of the project that reflects background research and reporting, and a description of the anticipated national or regional impact of the project;
b. the current status of the project (i.e. project stage, other funding sources);
c. a brief autobiographical explanation of why the applicant is well-positioned to tell this particular story or set of stories;
d. a detailed description that outlines the applicant's approach to the issue, expected final products (the number and tentative themes of the stories you plan to write, photograph, film, record or produce) and how the stories will be structured (potential subjects, planned locations, possible conclusions);
e. a detailed distribution plan for the project that identifies the audiences you hope to reach, planned outlets or venues for the project and strategic partnerships the applicant has or will explore with advocacy, social justice, or media-focused NGOs;
f. a description of the technical assistance the project may require from OSI or other entities;
g. a budget reflecting the project expenses, including applicant's stipend, costs related to travel, supplies, equipment, finishing, and distribution. If the project costs exceed the maximum fellowship award of $35,000, please include an overall project budget that includes other anticipated and/or secured sources of funding;
h. a timeline that reflects the story treatment and products the applicant will produce. If the project will not be finished within the one-year fellowship term, please be specific about what parts you expect to complete and include the anticipated timeline for completion of the project.
Two confidential letters of recommendation that address the applicant's talent, professionalism, and demonstrated ability to complete in-depth media projects.

OSI encourages applicants to share their proposal narratives and the program�s selection criteria with those writing letters of recommendation on their behalf. Please request that both recommenders write one original letter, sign it, photocopy it five times, and put the original and the five photocopies in one envelope, sealed and signed across the back. The applicant's name should be written on the envelope. The envelope must accompany the application packet and will not be accepted under separate cover.
Samples of the applicant�s previous work. Print applicants should submit one original and five copies of three samples of previous work, for a total of six sets. Clips should be photocopied onto 8.5" x 11" paper. Radio applicants should submit six audio CDs, each containing three samples of previous work. Film and video applicants should submit six copies on DVD of two samples of previous work. Photography applicants should submit one set of fifteen 8 x 10 inch prints and one CD with 300dpi tiff files of the same fifteen images. All applicants who have already begun their projects should include excerpts from the proposed project as one of the samples submitted.

No faxed, emailed, or late applications will be accepted. Applications arriving without letters of recommendation, documents, samples, or photocopies will be considered incomplete and may not be given full consideration. In addition, supporting documents sent under separate cover will not be accepted.

Program Contact

Kate Black
Program Officer
1-212-548-0170
KatrinaFellowship@sorosny.org

Please send all applications to:

Kate Black
Katrina Media Fellowships
Open Society Institute
400 W. 59th Street, 3rd floor
New York, NY 10019