NAJA awarded Facebook Journalism Project Community Network grant

Norman, Okla. — The Native American Journalists Association has been awarded $25,000 from the Facebook Journalism Project Community Network.

FJP’s mission is to support and connect people and organizations that are building community through local news. FJP partnered with The Lenfest Institute for Journalism to provide grant review and grantmaking support.

NAJA serves and empowers Native journalists through programs and actions designed to enrich journalism and promote Native cultures.

NAJA plans to utilize the awarded funds to support reporting that serves underserved communities and/or news deserts, specifically through the Native American Journalism Fellowship.

NAJF is a cornerstone in NAJA’s commitment to empower the next generation of Indigenous media professionals and serving students as the key career pipeline for Native American storytellers.

NAJA’s project goal for NAJF is to increase the Native voice in newsrooms from 0.2 percent to two percent within the next 10 years. To achieve this goal, NAJA needs to develop the careers of hundreds of Indigenous media professionals equipped to complete and excel in the industry.

This fellowship is the leading source for training Native American and Alaska Native youth to enter the field of journalism and an opportunity for college and graduate students to deepen their reporting and multimedia skills, while learning from tribal journalist mentors and news industry professionals from across the country.

In 2019, NAJA will pair Indigenous college students with media professionals, providing annual mentorship as well as hands-on training during the week-long youth-led newsroom immersion experience.

The NAJA student newsroom is organized in coordination with the National Native Media Conference in association with the Fourth Annual Conference on Native American Nutrition at the Mystic Lake Center Sept. 15-18, 2019 in Prior Lake, Minn.