Deadline: April 15, 2009

The International Women’s Media Foundation ( http://www.iwmf.org/ ) is accepting applications for the 2009-10 Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship, which is awarded to women journalists who focus on human rights and social justice.

Full-time, part-time, or freelance journalists working on human rights or social justices issues are eligible to apply. Recipients spend nine months (September 2009 to May 2010) in a specialized academic research program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( http://www.mit.edu/ ). During that time, Neuffer fellows may also work with the Boston Globe or New York Times.

The fellowship includes housing with a local family, a stipend to cover meals, ground transportation, health insurance, and other living expenses. It does not provide a salary or honoraria.

The goal of the Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship is to provide a woman journalist with a transformative experience that will impact her career by offering her the opportunity to conduct research at leading academic institutions and build journalistic skills.

The Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship and the related Elizabeth Neuffer Forum on Human Rights and Journalism seek to impact public awareness of human rights journalism by encouraging dialogue and discussion about critical human rights issues.

Who is eligible to apply for the fellowship?
The Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship is open to women journalists around the world whose work focuses on human rights and social justice. Journalists working in the print, broadcast and Internet media, including freelancers, are eligible to apply.

Applicants must have a minimum of three years of experience in journalism. Non-native English speakers must also have excellent written and verbal English skills in order to fully participate in and benefit from the program.

(For information on other journalism fellowships, see the International Center for Journalists’ listing of fellowships: http://www.icfj.org/fellship.html.)

Where will the fellowship take place?
Each fellowship will be tailored specifically to the recipient. Working with the IWMF, the fellow will design a program that will enable her to pursue academic research while improving her ability to cover human rights and social justice by increasing her journalistic skill.

The fellow will be based at the Center for International Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts as a research associate during the research component of the fellowship. During the journalism portion of the fellowship, she may spend time at The Boston Globe or The New York Times, either in their home offices or in bureaus in Washington, D.C., or the United Nations.

What is the deadline?
Completed applications must be received by the IWMF on or before April 15, 2009. Incomplete applications or applications received after the due date will not be considered.