Applications due Dec. 1 for Peggy Girshman Idea Grants

Since 2010, the National Association of Science Writers has funded projects totaling more than $475,000 to benefit science writers. The grant program is named in memory of Peggy Girshman, NASW’s late board member, founding member of the grants committee, and longtime advocate for writers.

The total funding available this year is $25,000. NASW invites proposals from individuals or groups for grants ranging from $1,000 to $25,000 to support projects and programs designed to help science writers in their professional lives and/or benefit the field of science writing. We encourage creative thinking, thus the guidelines for these proposals are consciously broad.

Projects must be in keeping with the mission of NASW and should be accessible to all science writers. Priority is given to applications that will have the widest impact and those that carefully consider how funded work will be sustained beyond the award period.

Project funds should not be for individual works, such as underwriting a single investigative piece or book, but could, for instance, underwrite a study of the state of science writing in the United States, or a handbook for science writers.

Applicants need not be NASW members, and we encourage proposals from all career areas, including journalism, science communication, institutional writing, and freelancing. Applicants located outside of the United States may apply, but all proposals must demonstrate a clear benefit to U.S.-based science writers.

Please submit proposals through the online Submittable application. To learn more about the program and awards made to date and read selected proposals from past projects, visit our fact page. Before you submit a proposal, please review this list of Do’s and Don’ts.

Applications for more than $5,000 will be reviewed by the NASW Executive Board. Applicants will be notified of the grant committee’s decision by February 1, 2018, and can expect disbursements to begin soon thereafter, pending grantees’ acceptance of the grant contract. Applicants should take this timeline into account when planning events. In general, Idea Grants may not be used to fund costs already incurred. Only direct costs are allowed. Indirect costs are not allowable.