Polio Press Fellowship for Individual Reporting to Africa 2025

This fellowship is geared towards journalists interested in reporting stories on polio eradication in Africa. Preference will be given to reporters interested in traveling to the following countries: Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Niger, Nigeria, Madagascar, and Mozambique.

The goal of this fellowship is to provide professional journalists with the means to travel outside their country of residence to areas affected by polio and gather stories to raise global awareness about the importance of polio eradication work as well as the ways in which polio infrastructure can contribute to broader health goals.

Themes

• Small Awards
• Large Awards
• Applications should reflect each journalist’s unique interest in polio eradication and may involve themes such as:
  • Advancements and innovations in polio vaccination and surveillance
  • The relationship between gender and polio
  • Barriers to reaching unvaccinated children
• The impact of climate change, misinformation, urbanization, conflict, and other global challenges to polio eradication.

Funding Information

• Small Awards:(Under $5,000 USD)
• Large Awards:(Between $5,000 and $10,000 USD)

Costs Covered

• Selected journalists will receive funding to travel independently to one or more countries in Africa at the forefront of the polio eradication effort to gather stories and interviews with polio survivors, health care workers, community members, families, and health authorities.
• Please apply for the appropriate award category based on your project needs, such as distance/cost of travel and level of production. Applicants must include a budget proposal with a cost breakdown for transportation, visa fees, accommodation, interpretation, and other travel expenses in their application.

Eligibility Criteria

• They are committed to supporting journalists from diverse backgrounds and of all nationalities.
• Freelance journalists are welcome to apply.
• Reporters from around the world with proven experience publishing in national and/or global outlets are encouraged to apply.

Application Requirements

• Interested and eligible journalists must submit an application that includes a project proposal and budget and the impact of climate change, misinformation, urbanization, conflict, and other global challenges to polio eradication.
• They will consider projects across all media platforms (including print, photography, audio, and video) for publication by one or more national or international media outlets. This fellowship cannot be used to fund books, feature-length films, or works of fiction or to purchase equipment.
• Applicants are expected to demonstrate adequate experience producing and publishing similar news content for reputable global or national outlets.
• While stories may be published in any language, basic English skills are necessary to participate in the fellowship interviews, training, and other required activities.
• Multi-person teams may submit a joint project proposal, however, the maximum award amount per project remains the same.

For more information, visit UN Foundation.