because it is free, I can do it anywhere, and it calms my mind

I’ve been running almost every day during the pandemic. Even though I know that any daily practice is good, I needed to be reminded of the boredom and joy of eating up the miles, of the months it takes for my body to feel strong, and of the physical energy I need to expend to not feel overwhelmed by the pandemic.

making dirt feels good

I’ve started a compost at home, and one of my small daily joys is watching food scraps turn into rich, dark earth.

writing grants to ride out the crazy financial reality of the pandemic

Early on in the pandemic, it became evident to me that most media outlets had cut their freelance budgets. I knew that my best chance for continuing to do good work was to apply for grants and fellowships. I wanted to share information about the grants I’ve received to support my work. Feel free to email me if you have questions about the grant writing process or any of the grants listed below.

Economic Hardship Reporting Project - EHRP provides from $500-$10,000 support work that raises awareness about income inequality. I love the work they do and particularly their support of writers doing local projects in the US. I applied and received confirmation of the grant within a week. Materials: 500-word pitch, CV & proposed budget.

National Geographic COVID-19 Emergency Fund for Journalists - provides up to $8,000 to support journalists covering COVID-19 related issues in their own communities. I applied the first week of April 2020 and received confirmation of the grant in mid-July 2020. Materials: online application that requests a project description, CV, budget.

Fuller Project - If you have a story that is about issues that impact women, pitch The Fuller Project. They assigned me a story on the US-Mexico border, and they cover all reporting expenses, pay competitively, and they created a Security Plan/Risk Assessment for me before I went to the border. As sad as it is to admit this, they are the only organization I’ve ever worked for that has worked on a security plan with me.

find the joy where you can (composting!),

Alice