GRID-Arendal awards grants to investigative journalists working on various issues related to environmental crime. There is a pressing need to put environmental crime in the spotlight of international attention, and this is where investigative journalism can make a difference. The grant money is intended to support investigative journalists by covering costs related to an investigation (travel, document retrieval, interviews etc.).
The first grants were awarded in 2015, creating awareness on specific environmental crime issues through stories posted in international media. In 2021, four investigations were supported and published by our Investigative Environmental Journalism Grants programme. Investigations covered topics such as deforestation in Papua, coal mining in Zimbabwe, environmental activists in Colombia, and the export of charcoal and rosewood from Nigeria.
Read about the impact of the 2021 investigations here.
In 2022, GRID-Arendal supported the publication of 5 investigations through its yearly grants programme. One remaining story from the 2022 winners will be published later this year.
Although the stories on their own generate immediate impact, it doesn't stop there! Some investigations initiate change in the communities, spark difficult but important conversations, and ultimately pave the way for deepening our knowledge and tools to prevent environmental crime.
Read about the impact of the 2022 investigations here
In 2023, GRID-Arendal supported the publication of 7 investigations through its yearly grant programme.
