The Latin American Solutions Journalism Fund seeks to strengthen media ecosystems and public discourse at a critical time for Central and Latin America. We expand the conversation about the problems we face through rigorous journalism that explores the answers to those problems.
Quick links (cambie al español):
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Donate online to our nonprofit Fund so that we can offer trainings and reporting grants to more outstanding journalists throughout Latin America.
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Join our Spanish-language WhatsApp Community to learn more and stay up-to-date on trainings and grants from the Fund.
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Other questions? Read on, and contact us at [email protected]!
Who created the Fund?
It was launched in 2024 by the Costa Rican national solutions journalism organization El Colectivo 506, in order to raise funds for solutions journalism training and practice at this critical time. The fund is hosted by the SOMOS Foundation (Costa Rica); you can donate online through the U.S. organization Amigos of Costa Rica here. Learn more about the origin of the fund in this post from El Colectivo 506. In creating the fund, we were inspired by the global leadership of the U.S.-based Solutions Journalism Network (SJN) to promote this kind of rigorous, independent journalism around the world, and to build a Solutions Journalism Network for Latin America.
How does the Fund work?
First, the Fund creates opportunities for solutions journalism training in Spanish for journalists and other communicators—experienced and new to the profession, employed within a newsroom or freelance. These trainings offered through, or in collaboration with, the Fund will are shared through the social networks of El Colectivo 506 and its partners; the conditions of the training can vary depending on the partner and trainer. Most are virtual, but some may be in-person; most are free, but some may be offered with a subscription cost.
Second, the Fund provides financial and editorial support to journalists who are studying social problems in depth and want to investigate responses that those problems have generated. THe articles they produce become part of a “library of what works” in our region, chronicling not only the positive impact of the responses but also their limitations and lessons learned.
How to participate
- All of the Fund’s training and funding opportunities will be communicated through El Colectivo 506’s Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X accounts (@elcolectivo across the board). We will also share them in our WhatsApp Community, “Fondo Periodismo de Soluciones LatAm,” which is open to all through this link.
- To participate in funding opportunities offered by the Fund, individuals must have basic knowledge of the solutions journalism methodology, acquired through training approved by the Fund.
- People who have already received training in solutions journalism can join the list for funding opportunities through our signup form, sala506.com/fondopds, where they will indicate which training they’ve completed. (Approved trainings include the Fund’s “Introduction to Solutions Journalism” trainings; previous trainings offered by the Solutions Journalism Network, including ToT/Train the Trainers, LEDE Fellowship; and the Knight Center/Solutions Journalism Network MOOC completion certificate).
- Each of our funding calls will have specific characteristics and requirements, such as regionality or theme. These opportunities will be communicated in a timely manner to individuals who have successfully joined the fund through the step indicated above.
Our first call, in August 2024, focuses on solutions journalism reporting from Central America. The link to submit proposals is available for people who complete signup form.
Where are the reports produced with the Fund published?
Journalists who receive the Fund’s mini-grants may be associated with a media outlet that wants to publish the content; in other cases, the Fund may play a role in supporting the process of placing the reports in interested partner media. All reports will also be published (in English and Spanish) in El Colectivo 506, including all relevant credits and indicating in which other publication the content can be found. Depending on the characteristics of the call, the contents may also be published by partner organizations; this will be indicated in each call for proposals.
How are the mini-grantees selected?
Each call will have its own specific selection criteria. However, the proposals will always be evaluated by a jury defined for each call, according to the knowledge that the applicant demonstrates of these basic aspects of the topic to be reported:
- The social problem that the report will address.
- Basic information about the response to the problem proposed for the report.
- Evidence of impact that can be reported on, and/or a viable proposal for how to achieve that evidence.
- Lessons that have been learned through the application of this response.
- Limitations that the response is facing, and/or a plan of who to interview to gather information about this aspect.
- In the event that the call has a specific theme, the congruence of the proposal with the theme will also be evaluated.
- If the call is defined for a specific geographic area (country or countries, region), proposals outside these areas will be discarded.
The co-founders of El Colectivo 506 will make a first selection of the proposals received, in accordance with our anti-discrimination hiring policy. A second round of selection will be carried out by an invited jury comprising specialists in solutions journalism and/or the specific topic of the call.
The jury has the right to determine that no proposal meets the criteria necessary for funding, or it may choose a number of proposals less than the maximum number of established scholarships for a given call.
