The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) has awarded 13 female journalists with catalytic grants to report on critical issues affecting women and girls worldwide. As the inaugural grantees for the Reporting Grants for Women’s Stories (RGWS) initiative, funded by The Secular Society, these grants are intended to advance the contributions of women in the global news media and ensure the varied coverage of gendered topics so essential to a free and representative press.

Out of a talented pool of more than 200 applicants, representing media projects in over 85 countries, the 13 grantees are receiving a total of $46,700 to facilitate the production of their projects. Over the next three years, the initiative will award a total of at least $300,000 to female journalists who can help advance gender equity in the media with the support of independent reporting grants.

The 2016 Round 1 winners of the IWMF Reporting Grants for Women’s Stories Initiative are as follows:

Christabel Ligami is a Kenyan freelance journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya who writes on science, health, development, and climate change in East Africa and other parts of the continent. Her Reporting Grant will enable her to investigate how solar technology and land rights impact the lives of Masaai women in Kenya.

“We are enormously thrilled to partner with The Secular Society through the Reporting Grants for Women’s Stories Initiative, as it not only amplifies the voices of female journalists, but the untold stories that impact the lives of women and girls around the world,” said Elisa Lees Muñoz, the IWMF’s Executive Director.

The Secular Society is founded on the principle that all governmental activities and those of religious organizations be absolutely separate. It supports projects domestically and internationally that advance the interests of women, as well as the arts. The Secular Society’s support for gender equity through independent reporting grants highlights the need to provide women journalists with more robust funding opportunities to pursue journalism in the public interest.

Founded in 1990 by a group of prominent U.S. women journalists, the International Women’s Media Foundation is dedicated to strengthening the role of women journalists worldwide. The IWMF believes the news media worldwide are not truly free and representative without the equal voice of women. The IWMF celebrates the courage of women journalists who overcome threats and oppression to speak out on global issues. The IWMF’s programs empower women journalists with the training, support and network to become leaders in the news industry.

Follow the progress of IWMF grantees on Twitter @IWMF, #IWMFgrantee

For media inquiries, please contact Jennifer Hyman, the IWMF’s Communications Director via email.