ICSC offers grants to journos in honor of Jaime “Nonoy” Espina

Applications open until May 16

THE INSTITUTE for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC), an international non-government organization advocating for fair climate policy and low carbon, climate-resilient development, is offering journalists the ‘Jaime Espina Klima Correspondents Fellowship.’ The six-month media fellowship from June to November 2022 seeks to support the research, production, and publication of energy transition stories in the Philippines.

In remembrance of Nonoy Espina

The fellowship honors the late Jose Jaime “Nonoy” Espina, a veteran reporter, a dedicated advocate and campaigner for press freedom and media workers’ welfare. He was steadfast and fearless in the fight to protect journalists, especially those endangered and besieged by all kinds of threats and attacks around the country. 

“It aims to honor Nonoy’s unparalleled life and legacy by providing space for the most compelling local energy transition stories, particularly narratives that focus on transformational challenges, and those which go beyond vulnerability and dwell on agency and hope,” their press release read.

Inday Espina-Varona, his sister and fellow veteran journalist, said that she “hopes the fellowship will empower local journalists the way Nonoy empowered communities and campaigners in our home province of Negros Occidental and beyond with his fearless journalism.”

Espina’s notable reportage included coverage of the sustained attempt in 1998 by a determined multinational consortium to ram through in Negros Occidental a 50-megawatt coal-fired power plant project. Because of Nonoy’s coverage, Negros Occidental power generation is coal-free until today.

Eligibility and Application

The Fellowship is open to full-time journalists, correspondents, and freelancers in the Philippines, with preference for those working in the provinces. Fellows need not be covering climate and energy beats. 

Applicants must form a team with a maximum of three members, including a writer, a photojournalist, and an editor of their choice. 

Applicants must also prepare the following requirements:

• A 500-word story proposal related to the country’s energy transition;
• The  format of the story, that can take the form of traditional written narratives accompanied by images for print and online publication; multimedia; animation; a short documentary; or a podcast series; and
• An outline of the story production, including research, fieldwork, writing, and editing. These include:
  • Proposed budget, including COVID-related expenses
  • Letter of intent addressed to the ICSC Executive Director, signed by all members of the applying team

• Statement of support from the publication, signed by an editor or newsroom manager who is not part of the applying team
• Sample works (at least two) of the journalist, photojournalist and/or multimedia reporter 

Selected teams will receive a grant of up to PHP70,000, based on the budget proposal they will submit as part of their application. This covers transportation allowance for field work and other reporting expenses, communication allowance, stipend, and COVID-related costs to ensure the safety of both applicants and the communities they will visit for their respective stories.

Fellowship organizers reserve the right to decline applications if the applicants are found to have engaged in unethical professional conduct.

Fellows will be selected by a panel of veteran journalists, editors, and communication experts. Upon selection, fellows will participate in a short course on climate and energy reporting and media safety.

Interested journalists may check ICSC’s website for more information on how to apply for the Fellowship. The call for applications will run from March 28 to May 16, 2022.