Posted on February 11, 2013

Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation Awards Grants Totaling $2.8 Million

The Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation in Oklahoma City has announced grants totaling $2.8 million to twenty-five journalism organizations.

Grants were awarded in the areas of investigative reporting, professional development, and youth education. Recipients include Oklahoma Watch, an investigative and in-depth reporting team, which received $750,000 to collaborate with other news organizations and institutes of higher education; the Fund for Investigative Journalism, which was awarded $100,000 to provide grants to reporters for travel, document collection, and other out-of-pocket expenses; the Online News Association, which received $100,000 to develop a searchable Web-based, library of cutting-edge digital tools, training, and strategies for journalists; and the University of Oklahoma, which was awarded $85,000 for its Oklahoma Scholastic Media Initiative, which provides grants for equipment, software, and training for online high school newspapers.

In addition, the foundation awarded four "special opportunity" grants, including $300,000 to the Friends of the Oklahoma History Center to archive, digitize, and create a searchable database of the Oklahoma Publishing Company's Collection of 1.4 million photographs owned by the Oklahoma Historical Society.

"New models are necessary to continue the important work of investigative journalism in the public interest," said EEJF president and CEO Bob Ross. "We are pleased to partner with the organizations announced today as they work to stimulate positive change through innovative models."