Bertha Foundation is excited to announce the launch of the fourth Bertha Challenge: an opportunity for activists and investigative journalists to spend a year working on one pressing social justice challenge and to deliver a body of work at the end of the Fellowship year. Successful applicants will receive non-residential paid Fellowships and project budgets to work independently and together to:
The Bertha Challenge is an opportunity for activists and investigative journalists to spend a year focussing on one pressing social justice issue.
HOW IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POLITICS AND CORPORATE CONTROL OF OUR FOOD SYSTEMS CONTRIBUTING TO ENVIRONMENTAL DEVASTATION AND HUNGER AND HOW CAN FOOD PRODUCTION CENTER PEOPLE AND NUTRITION RATHER THAN PROFIT?
Successful applicants receive a non-residential paid fellowship and a project budget to work independently and together to:
- Investigate the causes of and solutions to the annual Bertha Challenge question
- Amplify their findings to a wider targeted audience
- Connect with diverse stakeholders for information, support and sustainable impact
Benefits
- Income for each Bertha Fellow for one year
- A Project Fund for each Bertha Fellow to produce a culminating product that responds to the question posed by the Bertha Challenge
- A Connect Fund specifically designed to encourage collaboration between Fellows
- Peer and mentor support in the form of regular virtual check-ins with Bertha staff and a cohort of Bertha Fellows
- Global convenings of Bertha Fellows at the start and end of the Bertha Challenge.
Income for each Bertha Fellow for one year, not exceeding USD $64,900 and commensurate with the applicant’s current or equivalent salary at the host organization – ideally a media outlet for an investigative journalist and an NGO, community organization or social movement for an activist.
A Project Fund of up to USD $10,000 for each Bertha Fellow to produce their final projects that respond to the question posed by the Bertha Challenge, and that is directed towards a specific audience.
- Access to a Connect Fund of up to USD $5000 specifically designed to encourage collaboration between Fellows
- Regular online discussions with topics on a range of issues from current debates around food to methods of investigation, methods of communicating findings through news media, storytelling, popular education and more
- Peer and mentor support in the form of regular virtual check-ins with Bertha staff and a cohort of Bertha Fellows
- A global convening of Bertha Fellows at the start of the Bertha Challenge, and invitations to join alumni convenings after the end of the Fellowship year.
Deliverables
This is a full-time Fellowship. Bertha Fellows will spend their time working in their home countries and be required to:
- Attend an in-person global convening that will take place towards the beginning of the Challenge
- Develop and deliver a project that responds to the Bertha Challenge question
- Participate in two virtual meetings per month, and occasionally facilitate these meetings
- Develop local and global network relationships.
Selection Criteria:
- Bertha endeavours to select an inclusive and representative cohort of Bertha Fellows that celebrates diversity.
- Bertha Fellows will be selected on individual merit but also on their complementary skills to the cohort, their existing and/or proposed networks and prospects for long-term impact of their work.
Application Requirements
All applicants must submit:
- A completed online application form
- A brief resume/CV in English of no more than three pages
- A list of 2-4 referees including name, relationship to applicant and contact details
- A signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) from your prospective host organization – including commensurate salary and any benefits provided.
- Examples of previous work.
Application Deadline: 26 June 2022
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