W.K. Kellogg Foundation Funds IWMF Reporting Venture in Haiti

Program will produce journalism from Haitian journalists and international editors

[July 27, 2022 – WASHINGTON, DC] – The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF/Kellogg Foundation) joins the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) today as the organization’s newest funder by enabling a two-year reporting project based in Haiti. The $250,000 grant will support an international reporting program that ensures global audiences receive more news stories directly from Haitian journalists.

“With this grant from the Kellogg Foundation, the IWMF continues to broaden our impact around the world by influencing how global communities see and understand what’s happening in Haiti,” said Elisa Lees Muñoz, executive director for the IWMF. “We could not be more grateful for WKKF’s interest in enabling this kind of reporting and seeing the value of our Round Earth Media program.”

Beginning in summer 2022, the program – named Haitian Perspectives – will pair journalists in Haiti with editors in the United States to produce diverse and nuanced reporting on today’s most pressing issues. The program will be led by Woy Magazine editors Mélodie and Nathalie Cerin, with teams of Haitian journalists and photojournalists reporting the stories. Resulting features will be placed in Haitian and international news outlets.

“It’s critical to read about Haiti from the people who are implicated in the issues being addressed,” said Nathalie Cerin. “We must move beyond the superficial narratives we too often read about in mainstream press. Haitian Perspectives is about seeking truth and delivering reporting from the most foundational source – the people who live the story, here, every day.”

The Kellogg Foundation previously supported Round Earth Media, which joined the IWMF in 2019, by funding reporting programs in Mexico, Central America, South America, and Haiti, producing a range of print and broadcast stories as well as radio documentaries for National Public Radio stations.

“The W.K. Kellogg Foundation is committed to funding Haitian-led work and helping repair the damaging narratives about Haiti perpetuated by the Western media,” said Ryan Jiha, WKKF Program Officer. “The latter has failed to capture the complexities of Haitian life, including the visionary work of locals building their own futures. The Kellogg Foundation is honored to work with the IWMF to support this critical reporting, which will undoubtedly change perspectives on what’s happening in Haiti today.”

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About the International Women’s Media Foundation

The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) is the only global non-profit organization that offers emergency support, safety training, global reporting opportunities, and funding for both staff reporters and freelancers, all specifically tailored for women and gender diverse journalists. Our mission is to ensure more opportunities, bylines, and recognition of women and nonbinary journalists and create a greater diversity of voices in journalism. Follow the IWMF on Twitter at @IWMF, on Facebook at @IWMFPage, on Instagram on @TheIWMF and on TikTok @theiwmf.

About the W. K. Kellogg Foundation

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal innovator and entrepreneur Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work, and life.

The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Michigan, and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special attention is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.

Media Contact
Charlotte Fox
cfox@iwmf.org