SEJ Launches Grant for Environmental Health Reporting

October 2, 2017

Donate to "The Lizzie Grant for Environmental Health Reporting" here.

The Society of Environmental Journalists announces the launch of its first annual grant for environmental health reporting. The grant is named for Elizabeth Grossman, a longtime SEJ member. Lizzie was elected to the board in 2014. She devoted her career to uncovering environmental health issues while tirelessly advocating for freelancers until her untimely death in July 2017. Lizzie herself proposed such a grant to the board several months ago. The grant will provide up to $5,000 to help cover travel and other expenses related to sustained coverage (e.g., a series of articles) of a particular topic in environmental health. It will be offered under the Fund for Environmental Journalism. The grant has been seeded by Lizzie’s legacy gift to SEJ.

SEJ is now launching the first phase of this grant: fundraising. It starts with you. 

Those of you who generously contributed to “The Lizzie” conference travel fellowship, or more broadly to FEJ in Lizzie’s honor, thank you! SEJ has ended fundraising for the travel fellowship after successfully raising more than $6,000, and will now focus on raising funds for the reporting grant. Please spread the word far and wide. 

SEJ will extend its fundraising campaign to news organizations, starting with some that Lizzie worked with. SEJ will also solicit funding from foundations, nonprofit organizations and private companies invested in environmental health research or products.

SEJ will open the application process for this grant once we have raised at least $10,000, hopefully in the next few months. If you have questions related to the grant and how to contribute, please contact SEJ President Bobby Magill or Susan Moran. The SEJ board has formed a task force to oversee the fundraising and ultimate execution of this grant. Members are Susan Moran, Jane Braxton Little, Valerie Brown, Gloria Dickie and Marla Cone. 

Please make your donation today.