Content Innovation Fund for Media Innovators and Content Creators residing in Jordan

Marginalized groups in Jordan often lack access to support, resources and skill-building opportunities to effectively share their stories in innovative, accessible and impactful ways. This hinders their ability to amplify their own voices and communicate their unique, important and underreported stories to wider audiences across the country.

Bridging Boundaries: Empowering Marginalized Communities in Jordan is a program funded by the U.S. Department of State (U.S. Embassy in Jordan). ICFJ’s Bridging Boundaries program aims to empower marginalized groups by providing them with innovative media and content creation skills, enabling them to share their stories effectively and reach a wide audience within Jordanian society.

This 12-month program will support marginalized groups in Jordan to utilize innovative journalism and storytelling methods to share their often underreported stories.

The project will facilitate cultural exchange and collaboration between marginalized and underrepresented groups in Jordan and their peers, journalists and thought-leaders in the United States. ICFJ will lead a seven-day trip for media professionals from the U.S. to travel to Jordan to connect with Jordanian program participants, meet with media organizations, visit cultural institutions and more.

This 12-month program includes:

• Kickoff Webinar – ICFJ will host a webinar in Arabic, open to Jordanian media professionals, media content creators and citizen journalists, with an emphasis on multimedia storytelling and mobile journalism. The webinar will present introductory skills and processes for creative storytelling.
• Content Innovation Fund – ICFJ will establish a Content Innovation Fund which will offer grant funding for Jordanians from marginalized groups and media creators to support innovative content, journalism, storytelling and media projects that will highlight the stories of marginalized groups across the country. ICFJ will award up to 15 grantees with flexible funding for content innovation media projects.
• Study Tour in Jordan – ICFJ will also organize a seven-day study tour for eight media professionals, journalists, communications professionals and faculty, content creators and others from underrepresented communities in media to travel to Jordan. The study tour will drive connections, understanding and knowledge exchange between U.S. media representatives and their peers in Jordan.
• 2-Day Project Showcase Event – ICFJ will bring together grantees for a two-day convening in Amman, Jordan, for a project showcase event. Grantees will present their work to their peers and guests.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must submit an innovative multimedia storytelling project including, but not limited to: documentary short films, digital art and animation videos, photojournalism projects, data visualization projects, multimedia art physical or digital exhibitions, multimedia investigations on social, political, environmental or other issues, innovative social media projects, or a podcast series.
• This fund is open to residents and citizens of Jordan. Refugees, women, and young professionals are encouraged to apply.

For more information, visit ICFJ.