Above: Mekonnen Mulugeta gets the Pfizer vaccine at a pop-up clinic at St. Mary Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado
Communities of color and other marginalized groups have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 in Colorado. These same communities also face increased challenges accessing the COVID-19 vaccine due to structural barriers, including a lack of culturally responsive and accurate information, limited interpretation or translation services, and limited access to technology. Some individuals also may be reluctant to get vaccinated due to concerns about vaccine side effects, immigration-related fears, experiences with racism and bias, or lack of trust and confidence in health care and other systems.
To help address these barriers and concerns, Colorado Media Project (CMP) is offering grants of between $5,000 and $10,000 to Colorado journalism organizations that have existing, trusted relationships with communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
Funding can be used to support journalism and/or community engagement projects that:
help meet a specific marginalized community’s critical information needs and questions about the vaccine,
directly address mis- and disinformation about the vaccine in culturally responsive ways, and/or
leverage partnerships between newsrooms and community-based organizations that are helping to implement vaccine rollout.
A coalition of Colorado funders is supporting this grant opportunity through CMP’s Informed Communities Fund at Rose Community Foundation. The Colorado Health Foundation will support the grantee cohort with new research on common concerns and misconceptions among communities of color in Colorado, and CMP and COLab will share lessons learned and content created through the project with the broader media ecosystem.
Not a news organization? Together We Protect – Colorado’s COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Fund is providing grants to nonprofit community-based organizations working in communities highly impacted by COVID-19 to ensure that populations who face systemic barriers have the best possible information about the COVID-19 vaccine and can access the vaccine through low-barrier opportunities.
DETAILS ON MEDIA GRANT OPPORTUNITY
Colorado Media Project is offering grants of $5,000 to $10,000 to selected Colorado journalism outlets, to support local reporting and/or community engagement that helps ensure communities of color and other marginalized groups have access to accurate, culturally relevant local news and information about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Eligible applicants must:
Be a Colorado news outlet that is regularly producing original, locally focused, nonpartisan journalism. Both nonprofit and for-profit newsrooms are eligible to apply.
Have a history of providing culturally responsive and trusted information in at least one of the following communities highly impacted by COVID-19: Communities of color, immigrant and refugee, people with limited English proficiency/language barriers, people with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness/housing instability, LGBTQ+ individuals, people without health insurance, minimum or low-wage employees, older adults living on low income.
Be willing to partner with Colorado Media Project and the Colorado News Collaborative to share content (of your choosing) and lessons learned on engagement strategies, journalism approaches, and other creative ideas that help your journalists build trust in communities of color and/or communities facing inequities and barriers.
Funds can be used for staff time and expenses directly related to production of local journalism, community listening projects, or engagement activities related to the COVID-19 vaccine. The following are examples of activities or partnerships the funds can be used to support:
Journalism that solicits local community members’ questions about the vaccine and provides answers through original, local reporting, storytelling, and dissemination of relevant content.
Amplification of factual, research-based vaccine education campaigns that use culturally appropriate messaging and digital and non-digital channels best suited to reach different communities.
Serving as a media partner to promote local pop-up or immunization clinics in trusted spaces (churches, community centers, schools) or door-to-door vaccines for people with mobility barriers.
Other innovative local journalism projects that help Coloradans of color and other marginalized groups find accurate information about the vaccine and how to access it.
KEY DATES
INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR: Register here to learn more about this funding opportunity on Monday, April 5 from Noon to 1 p.m. The webinar will be recorded and posted, along with an FAQ document, for future viewing.
APPLICATION DEADLINES AND DECISIONS:
Application Deadline: Sunday, April 11 by midnight MT
Notification of Decisions: By Wednesday, April 21
Grant Payment: By Friday, May 7, pending receipt of signed grant contract
COHORT KICKOFF MEETING: Thursday, April 29 from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
REPORTING: Grantees must expend funds by November 30, 2021, and submit a brief grant report by Dec. 31, 2021. Grantees also may be asked to participate in a brief interview during and/or after the grant period, to capture learning and best practices.
To see a full list of questions and answers related to this grant opportunity, click here.