TUITION ASSISTANCE:  Professional development opportunities for individuals

Tuition Reimbursement Form for working journalism professionals who would like assistance with covering registration or tuition costs for professional development opportunities. This could include funds for college course tuition, conference registration, air travel, lodging, etc. This is program is offered for current Press Club members.

GRANT: Alaska Press Club Professional Development Funds for Newsrooms (Up to $5,000)

In summer and fall 2024, Alaska Press Club will fund professional development opportunities with support from Atwood Foundation through the Alaska Center for Excellence in Journalism fund at the Alaska Community Foundation. We’d like you to partner with us to offer training and workshops that will provide reporters with the knowledge, skills and inspiration needed to do the work Alaskans depend on. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until Dec. 31, 2024 or until funds are spent. 

Examples of what Press Club can fund include moving existing training online, guest presenters, panels, bootcamps, newsroom mentorships, training registration fees, enhancement of existing education programs and the development of training tools, presentations and resources for reporters (i.e. toolkits, style guides, digital tools, online instruction, etc.). 

Priority will be given to projects that involve collaboration among newsrooms. Preferred areas of focus include basic news skills, in-depth reporting, digital journalism, communications law, journalism ethics, community engagement and increased coverage of diversity. The selection committee is open to additional areas of focus as need is demonstrated.

Does your grant application address these questions? 

What are Alaska’s newsroom needs and how can professional development dollars help meet those needs?

How can you, your newsroom or organization share your experiences or education opportunities with the broader Alaska  journalism community?

How can you bring groups or individuals outside of our organization into the fold to help meet these needs?

We expect each grantee to provide concrete ideas on how these funds can be matched to enhance the impact of available professional development dollars. Can your newsroom or organization cover some of the costs, provide paid staff hours for organizing the effort, or document the training to share with others in our Alaska journalism community? Are there individuals or organizations who might like to sponsor this work by providing resources like work space, supplies, local transportation, lodging or snacks for participants? Is someone willing to assist with advertising efforts? What are the other ways Alaska Press Club could assist?

Grant Application for individuals or newsrooms who would like to apply on behalf of a larger group within the journalism community.

Application Checklist 

Project description:  Provide an overview of the professional development opportunity you would like to offer. Who are the key experts? How were they selected? What will they provide? Who are the participants? How will they be selected? When and where will the events take place? What products will be developed?

Demonstrated need: Why this project? Why now? Who benefits and how?

Partnerships: Who are your partners and what are their roles? What are the partner’s  qualifications? How will they enhance what you’d like to offer?

Budget & Match: What is the amount of your request? How will the funds be spent? Concrete ways these funds can be matched to double the impact of professional development dollars available. Please include an itemized budget, including partner contributions.

Documentation: How will you preserve this project for future reporters? Will documentation of this effort be provided to other newsrooms in Alaska?

Selection Process 

The Alaska Press Club Executive Director, Rosey Robards, will review applications as they are submitted. She will be in contact with applicants if additional information is needed. The Alaska Press Club board will then review applications on a monthly basis. Alaska Press Club board members and contractors will not apply for these funds. However, we know our journalism community is small. Therefore, Press Club board members may facilitate training or participate in professional development efforts associated with these grant funds as approved by the full board after grant review. If a new conflict of interest arises, the Alaska Press Club board is to be notified immediately.

For more information or clarification email alaskapressclubinfo@gmail.com.