Applications Invited for Water Desk Grant

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About the Organization

The Water Desk is an independent, nonprofit journalism initiative with three priorities:

• Support for journalists: Through our network, The Water Desk provides funding, training and other resources to journalists and media outlets that cover Western water issues.
• Original content: The Water Desk produces its own journalism and offers free multimedia content, data visualizations and background resources.
• Education and community engagement: The Water Desk works with CU students and others beyond the campus to advance learning and to engage the community on Western water issues.

About the Grant

The Water Desk is interested in supporting a wide variety of media and journalistic approaches: newspapers, magazines, websites, video, television, radio, podcasts and other channels.

The Water Desk will support journalism that focuses on water issues involving the seven states of the Colorado River Basin—Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming—as well as the borderlands of Northwest Mexico.

Proposals related to areas that lie outside of the hydrologic boundaries of the Colorado River Basin’s watershed must have a strong connection to water issues in the basin.

Because water is intertwined with so many issues, we are open to proposals covering a broad spectrum of topics: climate change, biodiversity, pollution, public health, environmental justice, food, agriculture, drinking water, economics, recreation and more.

Funding for these grants comes from the Walton Family Foundation. As a journalistic initiative, The Water Desk maintains a policy of strict editorial independence from our funders, as well as from the University of Colorado Boulder. Funders of The Water Desk have no right to review nor influence stories or other journalistic content that is produced with the support of these grants.

We will be awarding grants of $5,000 to $10,000 to support significant reporting efforts that lead to the publication of content connected to the Colorado River Basin.

This grantmaking program is only open to journalists (freelance and staff) and media outlets.

Eligibility

• Only journalists (freelancers and staff at media outlets) may apply for funding. Proposals from advocacy groups will not be accepted.
• Grantees must complete the work they outline in their proposals within six months of receiving funding.
• Recipients of prior grants from The Water Desk are welcome to apply for funding.
• Journalists and media outlets are welcome to collaborate and submit a joint proposal. Regardless of how many journalists/outlets are part of the application, the cap on these grants is $10,000.

How to Apply

The deadline for applications is Monday, June 16, 2025, at 11:59 pm Pacific.

All application materials must be submitted to The Water Desk online.

Please visit our Google form to complete the application.

For more information please check the Link

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Tags Environment and Sustainability Water Journalism/ Reporting Others