• The fellowship aims to enhance the skills of independent journalists in reporting on civil society–led activities. Participants will benefit from peer-learning exchanges, gain experience within an international civil society network, and receive support to tell impactful stories that elevate the role of civil society. 

• Micro-grant: Each selected participant will receive a grant of €1,500 (VAT included) to support their reporting project. 

• Each year the programme will support 7 Fellows, one per region in which Forus members are active to ensure geographic and thematic representation: Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East, Pacific, North America and Latin America. 

• The Forus Fellowship Programme is open to early- and mid-career journalists from around the world working in print, photojournalism, video, broadcast, digital media, or writing articles for online publications. Fellows will gain experience learning from a rich and diverse group of professionals in this field. They will have the opportunity to produce stories that cover both national and regional perspectives, highlighting issues and initiatives across different countries and communities. 

• Civil society, social mobilisations calling for change and social justice such as actions led by citizens and communities in defense of human rights, social protections and democracy 

• Gender equality, social and environmental justice 

• The implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs 

• Financing for sustainable development 

• Power shifts in the development sector including philanthropic organisations, international non-governmental organisations, multilateral institutions and bilateral agencies 

• We are looking for stories from across the network, covering both national and regional perspectives, to capture the diverse experiences and impacts happening at different levels. 

• We especially encourage stories that highlight grassroots voices and movements, highlight community organising during elections, efforts toward political reform and public accountability, and narratives that showcase the role of civil society in shaping inclusive, fair, and sustainable futures. 
  

• Prepare an editorial plan based on the thematic area/s they will focus on with approximately 1 story per month. Stories can range from political representation of marginalised communities, gender justice, the impact of AI and emerging technologies, specific programmes carried out by civil society organisations at local level having a positive impact on communities and much more. You can find some of the stories the Forus network has worked on here. 
   

• Fellows will have to produce at least 6 pieces of work over the fellowship period. Proof of published work will have to be provided for monitoring and evaluation. Published work will be shared on the Forus website and social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Bluesky, YouTube). Outputs will be showcased in Forus A Space for Us multimedia hub dedicated to reporting stories of CSO positive impact (in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese) and will support the Forus campaign on #PositiveNarratives. Fellows can pivot their focus or projects based on emerging global issues or new challenges faced by CSOs for the programme approach to be responsive and relevant. 
   

• Engage in online training sessions and discussions (one per month/1 hour each) with participating fellows, media professionals and CSO platforms from the Forus network from around the globe. Sessions will focus on specific themes ranging from human rights, digital and emerging technologies, gender justice, positive narratives and much more. Sessions will benefit from simultaneous interpretation in English, French and Spanish. 

• Bilateral connections with CSO national platform or regional coalition in the region either online or via specific visits (for instance for reporting outputs). You can find a list of Forus members here. 

• Editorial support: Fellows will be supported in developing their editorial plans and stories. 

• Application window: Opens on September 9 and closes on September 22. 

• Outputs: Forus retains the right to share, translate, reproduce, and publicise fellows’ outputs on its website and social media channels. 

• Be journalists, published writers, bloggers, photojournalists, or videographers reporting on human rights, social, gender, or environmental justice. 

• Report in one of Forus’ working languages: English, French, Spanish, or Portuguese. 

• Be legally able to issue invoices for their work (as a freelancer, through a company, or other legal arrangement). 

• Work with news outlets or online platforms, or a digital audience and present a clear distribution plan (where and how their work will be published besides on the Forus website). 

• Commit to reporting on Forus and its member activities throughout the period of the fellowship. Fellows will receive a maximum budget of €1,500 for reporting-related expenses. 

• Provide a 6-month editorial plan once selected, detailing reporting focus and how they will support visibility of Forus members’ activities. 

• Demonstrate a strong commitment to civil society reporting. 

• Applications from journalists from historically marginalised groups (women, youth, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, etc.) are strongly encouraged. 

• Applicants are welcome and encouraged to apply in pairs (e.g., a writer and a photographer with complementary skills) or form partnerships with other media professionals in your same region as part of the fellowship. 

• Share an individual work plan, including their publication/distribution strategy. 

• Produce a minimum of six stories/media products/publications - approximately one story per month. 

• Participate in networking and capacity-strengthening meetings with other fellows. 

Resume (1–2 pages) 

Cover letter (max 2 pages) or a video recording, answering: 

1. What issues would you cover at national, regional and global level with the Fellowship? 

2. What is your connection to civil society organisations (local, national, regional, or global)? 

3. What are your ambitions in joining the Fellowship? 

4. Where and how will you distribute/publish your work (platforms, outlets, online spaces) and are you able to legally invoice? 

Work samples of published work 

Personal website, social media handles or portfolio (if available) 

• Applications will be reviewed by an internal Forus team and a Committee of Forus members. 

• Send your applications by September 22 to both Bibbi Abruzzini and Clarisse Sih: [email protected] and [email protected]