Civic Science Media Project Grants

Civic Science Media Project Grants

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Montclair State University
Amount: Up to US $15,000
Last Updated: June 27, 2025

Summary

The Civic Science Media Project Grants, offered by Montclair State University's Center for Cooperative Media, aim to enhance local journalism and foster collaboration between scientists and media. With up to $15,000 available for each of the 10 awards, projects should promote community engagement in scientific discourse, focusing on pressing issues like climate change and public health. This initiative encourages diverse participation, ensuring that local voices shape the narrative and enhance public understanding of science.

Overview

The Center for Cooperative Media, a grant-funded program within the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University was founded in 2012 in response to the downsizing of New Jersey news organizations and the changes in the ownership of regional public media. These shifts in the news and information landscape hurt the volume of local news available in a state that has historically had limited news coverage, due to its proximity to the major metropolitan areas of New York City and Philadelphia. With 564 municipalities packed into a densely populated state, New Jersey was—and is—ripe for innovation in local journalism. The mission of the Center for Cooperative Media is to grow and strengthen local journalism and support an informed society in New Jersey and beyond. The Center coordinates statewide and regional reporting, connecting more than 300 local news and information providers through its flagship project, the NJ News Commons. We offer innovative professional development seminars, with training sessions on topics such as data and investigative journalism, fact-checking, OPRA, podcasting, video production, digital sales, and business planning, among many others. We also offer one-on-one coaching. The Center’s research agenda is focused on issues impacting local journalism, especially collaboration and sustainability questions. About Civic Science Media At its core, civic science media is created when journalists and other storytellers work intentionally with diverse community members and scientists to collaboratively address issues of shared interest. Civic science media serves as an important bridge between scientists or scientific organizations and the people most impacted by scientific discovery, and promotes a dynamic conversation between scientists, media, and the public. The goal is both to inform and support active participation in solving or addressing community-identified concerns related to science, including climate change, public health, and artificial intelligence. Civic Science Media Project Funding The Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University is delighted to announce a funding opportunity for civic science media projects, thanks to support from the Rita Allen Foundation. The awards aim to accelerate civic science media collaborations across the United States with funding and coaching. This is the second open call for pilot awards in support of projects that can bridge the gap between scientists, media, and communities, with a focus on increasing public participation in science, expanding public deliberation about emerging science and creating opportunities for science to be informed by diverse communities. The award builds on a global research project conducted in 2020 and 2021 by the Center that studied how and why journalists and civil society organizations around the world collaborate to achieve and increase impact. Led by Dr. Sarah Stonbely and funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the research showed that journalists have become more willing to partner with civil society organizations in order to achieve tangible impact on issues such as corruption, governance, climate and environment, and human rights.With new openness among journalists and media makers to partner with civil society and community organizations, rapid advances in scientific discovery and debate, and increased polarization across communities, there is an urgent need to create a culture of civic science — where all people feel a sense of belonging in, and benefit from, the practice of science so they can inform meaningfully deliberation about society's most pressing problems.Rita Allen Foundation recently published the industry’s first in-depth analysis of civic science media, in a report that highlights a broad range of civic science media initiatives from across the country. The landscape scan showcases a range of civic science media projects and insights from leaders in this emergent field; potential award applicants should familiarize themselves with the paper. The Award A total of 10 awards up to $15,000 each are available. This opportunity is not meant to fund long-term, multi-year partnerships, but rather short-term pilots that: Foster ongoing, multidirectional dialogue between media organizations, scientists, and local communities.Include direct community participation in the scientific and/or media-creation process, ensuring that local concerns and perspectives substantially influence the conversation.Enhance science literacy by making complex scientific topics more accessible and engaging. In addition to funding, participants will receive hands-on coaching, including regular check-ins, peer-to-peer meetings, and tailored support to align goals, address challenges, and ensure robust and impactful community engagement. Priority areas include artificial intelligence, climate science, and neuroscience, which align with the broader goals of the Rita Allen Foundation’s overall civic science program. The awards are intended to cover the cost of the applicant’s and co-collaborator’s time, project materials, equipment, and associated production/editing costs to complete the project. Audience participation incentives are also encouraged; applicants should ensure they are not being extractive when it comes to involving members of the public.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Applicants must be United States-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations conducting work primarily in the United States or have a 501(c)(3) nonprofit fiscal sponsor. (Note: Awards will be made to organizations, not individuals.) A science partner should be an organization that has science as its core focus, including civil society organizations, universities, standalone research institutes, etc.The science partner should be committed to advancing a culture in which science is strengthened through collaboration with people across diverse issues and experiences, or an organization working to ensure that science, evidence, and public engagement help to inform solutions to society’s most pressing problems. This includes NGOs, universities, civic tech, and arts organizations, among others. For example, staff at the Ecology Center, a Michigan-based nonprofit environmental organization, were brought into the storytelling process early on with collaborators Outlier Media and Planet Detroit. This unusual arrangement in the media-creation process led to more community-directed stories about Detroit’s air quality problems and potential solutions. A media partner should be a media-making organization that regularly produces original news content, either digitally, in print or broadcast.The media partner should ideally not be a startup and should have a track record of producing high-quality, accurate, and ethical reporting. This may include news outlets, media organizations, or other entities that are dedicated to informing the public about current events and issues of public interest. Please note that a collaboration is required for these awards. The Center defines a collaboration as a partnership where 2 or more entities share the work in a relatively equitable fashion. At least one partner should represent science, and one should represent media or journalism.Credentials may be required if you are selected for an award and we cannot independently verify your identity.

Ineligibility

Awards will be made to organizations, not individuals.Award does not support lobbying activities.