Impact Seed Funding (ISF) is a small-scale grant initiative provided by the Pulitzer Center to enhance the understanding and awareness of issues related to human impacts on tropical forests, oceans, and the climate crisis within university communities, particularly among students and educators. The primary objective is to support projects that stimulate changes in perspectives, narratives, and actions among communities, ultimately fostering more informed and empathetic responses to the challenges facing the rainforest and climate change. The ISF is designed to be adaptable and responsive to the needs of educators and communities, enabling applicants to develop activities addressing pressing issues in the rainforest, ocean, and climate crisis.
Over the years, the Pulitzer Center has facilitated reporting on underreported issues in tropical forests through initiatives like the Rainforest Journalism Fund and Rainforest Investigative Network. Additionally, in 2023, we initiated a grant program focusing on ocean-related topics. Building on the insights from these stories, the ISF seeks to fund educational and engagement activities within university communities, specifically addressing tropical forests and the ocean.
Benefits
ISF grants typically range from US$2,000 to US$4,000 and are intended for projects to be executed and completed within a five-month timeframe following approval.
Types of Activities We Fund
Examples of activities supported by ISF may include, but are not limited to:
- Development of educational materials: Integration of Pulitzer Center journalism into teaching materials and syllabi, field trip programs, active citizenship training.
- Engagement with students, academia, and the public: Student writing competitions, debates, public dialogues, campus exhibitions, hackathons.
- Research support and dissemination of findings: Updating ongoing research and incorporating new insights into a book chapter, organizing seminars.
- Creation and distribution of content, such as brief videos, documentaries, and podcasts.
Requirements
Applicants must be professors or researchers at higher education institutions, or groups of students guided by a responsible professor. Projects should not be focused on Africa, Brazil, or Southeast Asia, as these regions have their own ISF grants. Projects led by consortia of professors are also encouraged.
Selection Process Timeline:
- Application period: April – May 27, 2024
- Selection phase: May 27 – Jul 27, 2024
- Announcement of grants: July 31, 2024
- Briefing and grant administration: August 1–August 14, 2024.
- Implementation period: August 1 – December 2024
- Project closure: December 7 – 31, 2024
- Project Reporting: January 2025
Method of Application:
Click on the provided link to access the application form.
For More Information,
Application Deadline: May 27, 2024.
