Water Desk Journalism Fund 2025

📝 About Water Desk Journalism Fund

The Water Desk Journalism Fund supports 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 outside the hydrologic boundaries of the Colorado River Basin's watershed must have a strong connection to water issues in the basin. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Climate change
• Biodiversity
• Pollution
• Public health
• Environmental justice
• Food and agriculture
• Drinking water
• Economics
• Recreation

School: The Water Desk at the University of Colorado Boulder

💰 Benefits of Water Desk Journalism Fund

Grants ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 will be awarded to support significant reporting efforts that lead to the publication of content connected to the Colorado River Basin.

✅ Eligibility Criteria

• Journalists (freelancers and staff at media outlets) are eligible to apply. Proposals from advocacy groups will not be accepted.
• Grantees must complete the work outlined in their proposals within six months of receiving funding.
• Recipients of prior grants from The Water Desk are welcome to apply again.
• Journalists and media outlets may collaborate and submit a joint proposal. However, the grant cap remains $10,000 regardless of the number of participants.

📅 Application Date and Process

Application Deadline: June 16, 2025

All application materials must be submitted online via The Water Desk's Google Form. Applicants must submit a single document (maximum 8 pages) containing the following:

1. Summary of the Proposed Work:

   • Narrative explaining the story/project, including its news value, potential impact, and importance to water issues in the Colorado River Basin.
   • Discussion of how the content will be distributed and the potential audience. Freelancers must include at least a letter of interest from an editor at a media outlet. If unavailable, explain your plan for pitching and disseminating the content.
   • Description of journalistic tools and approaches (e.g., text, photo, video, audio, data visualization, public records, etc.).

2. Proposed Budget:

   • Explain how the grant will be spent. Use standard categories such as salary, travel, books/reports, data, photos, equipment, etc.

3. Short Biography:

   • A biography of the journalist(s) involved in the project (maximum 250 words).

4. Resume:

   • A current resume for the applicant. If a team is applying, only the project leader’s resume is required.

5. Work Samples:

   • Links to three relevant work products (stories, projects, photos, videos, etc.) produced by the journalist(s) or media outlet(s).

📧 Contact Information

For any questions, please contact:

• Mitch Tobin: mitch.tobin@colorado.edu
• Luke Runyon: luke.runyon@colorado.edu

🌐 Application Portal

• View details: Water Desk Journalism Fund
• Apply here: Google Form

📅 Key Dates

• Date Published: May 16, 2025
• Application Deadline: June 16, 2025

This opportunity is an excellent chance for journalists to contribute to impactful reporting on critical water issues in the Colorado River Basin. Don't miss out!

• 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.