Open call for proposals: data journalism and property rights grants

The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting has issued an open call for proposals for data journalism projects focused on land rights and property rights. Applications are open until May 1, 2017. Read their full release below or at their blog.

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The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, a grant-giving non-profit organization that supports independent global journalism, is seeking applications for data-driven journalism projects related to land rights and property rights. 

We are eager to see proposals that use open data to reveal new perspectives on property rights issues related to land tenure, indigenous land rights, transparency in land transactions and concessions, resource rights, or overlapping land use rights—just to name a few. 

We are seeking data-driven stories that utilize the tools of the trade—satellite imagery, 360° cameras, drones, sensors, data visualizations, and interactive maps/graphics—but ultimately how to tell the story is up to you.

We encourage applicants to experiment with open data from a variety of sectors, for example: health data, investment data, law enforcement data, data from offshore and illicit financial flows, agribusiness data, development aid data, or population data to reveal new stories and under-reported issues related to land tenure and property rights. We will also welcome proposals that seek to vet or verify datasets related to property rights generated by NGO’s, governments, or multilateral development banks. After publication, when possible, the datasets created during this grant period will be released for the public good.

During this special opportunity, we will select three separate data-driven story proposals for grants. We will consider projects of any scope and size. We will award three grants for a total of $75,000. Please choose a team leader to submit the proposal, and submit only one project per journalist, data design team, or newsroom.

This grant opportunity is now open, and applicants are encouraged to submit their proposals for this opportunity by May 1, 2017. Apply here. Be sure to select the box marked “Data Journalism and Property Rights” on the application.

To apply, please include the following:

  • A description of the proposed project, including distribution/publication plan, no more than 250 words. If you have a letter from interested producers or editors please include it.
  • A preliminary budget estimate, including a basic breakdown of costs.  Include travel costs, software, satellite/GIS, or hardware costs.  Please do not include stipends for journalists/team members who are in the employ of newsrooms or are being paid by a publisher.  If you are a journalist collaborating with a data designer and/or data visual specialist you may include consultant fees in your budget.
  • Three samples of published work by you (or someone your project team) —data visualizations, infographics, and/or data-driven stories.
  • Three professional references. These can be either contact information or letters of recommendation.
  • A copy of your resume or curriculum vitae.
  • Applications may also include a more detailed description of project, but this will be considered as optional supplement only. The most important part of the submission is the 250-word summary.
  • If you have questions about this call for applications please email us at contact@pulitzercenter.org.