Please note – due to the current limitations of the IWMF’s resources, at this time we do not have the capacity to provide emergency assistance.
IWMF Emergency Fund
We established the IWMF Emergency Fund in 2013 to provide women journalists with a lifeline of support in times of crisis.
The IWMF Emergency Fund provides women journalists with:
- Small grants for psychological and medical care for incidents directly related to threats and crises caused by one’s work as a journalist;
- Three months of temporary relocation assistance in the event of crisis or threat;
- Legal aid to counter threats of imprisonment or censorship;
- Non-financial assistance in the form of information about additional access to resources.
To be eligible for the IWMF Emergency Fund, candidates must meet the following criteria:
- Be a staff or freelance woman reporter, working in any medium, whose primary profession is journalism;
- Have worked full-time as a journalist within six months of applying for assistance;
- Apply for assistance with a crisis situation directly connected to work as a journalist.
The Black Journalists Therapy Relief Fund
The Black Journalists Therapy Relief Fund (BJTRF) was started by Sonia Weiser in May 2020. This fund is designed to provide financial assistance for Black journalists facing financial hardship who are unable to pay for mental health support. While publications ask Black journalists — both freelance and full-time staff members — to put their lives at risk to report on racial injustices and embed themselves within protests, they rarely provide resources for these same journalists to process the trauma incurred both on the job and in daily life. BJTRF will consider supporting Black journalists globally who:
- Are employed full time, part-time, freelance, or as an intern;
- Were laid off/furloughed due to COVID-19 or who quit due to harmful workplace practices; OR
- Are former journalists suffering from lasting emotional or physical trauma from their time in the field.
The Journalists in Distress (JID) Network
The International Women’s Media Foundation is a member of the Journalists in Distress Network, a group of 18 international organizations that provide direct assistance to journalists and media workers whose lives or careers are threatened because of their work. Each organization has its own mandate and criteria for emergency assistance; the Network does not engage in joint advocacy. The JID Network was established in 2006 to allow member organizations with freedom of expression mandates to more easily share information, coordinate joint efforts and avoid duplication.