Congratulations to Vanesa de la Cruz Pavas (@vanesa-de-la-cruz-pavas) and Gabb Schivone (@gabb_schivone) on being selected as recipients of NASW’s 2025 Investigative Reporting Grants.
An initiative of NASW’s Journalism Committee, the new grant program was launched to support important stories that might otherwise remain untold.
Each project receives $1,000 to support recipients’ travel, time, and other costs as they investigate science-, environment-, or health-related stories that are focused on issues in North America.
“We were impressed with all of the proposals and the ongoing pursuit of truth and information, despite the extra legwork it takes to pursue investigative topics,” said NASW Journalism Committee co-chair and freelancer Emily Sohn. “This kind of work is time-intensive and involves a lot of dead ends. Extra funding can go a long way towards helping people find their way through rabbit holes.”
Applications were open to all freelance science writers who are reporting on or working to develop investigative projects. The selected proposals, which focused on public health issues affecting rural populations and U.S. veterans, were reviewed by NASW'sJ ournalism Committee co-chairs: Betsy Mason and Emily Sohn.
“It is encouraging to see writers pursuing hard but important stories that have the potential to help people,” Sohn said. “The more of these kinds of stories we can help get out into the world, the better.”
Learn more about the recipients in their own words:
Gabb Schivone
Credit: Gabb Schivone
Gabb Schivone is a working-class writer and investigative reporter originally from the Arizona borderlands. Their writings, which span memoir, investigative reporting, and fiction, have been published in outlets such as Slate, the New York Review of Books, Mother Jones, the Intercept, Drop Site News, the Border Chronicle, the Florida Review, Thriller Magazine, the Nib, and more. Currently they are an economic justice reporting fellow at Community Change. Schivone recently completed a 2024 PEN America Emerging Voices fellowship. When they're not racing to pitch and complete freelance news investigations to keep the lights on, you can either find them writing fiction, frequenting their local indie movie theater, or playing futból on a queer soccer team.
Vanesa de la Cruz Pavas
Credit: Jennifer Kent
I am a science communicator and environmental journalist from Colombia, passionate about conservation advocacy, climate justice, and scientific advancements. I work alongside historically marginalized communities to help amplify their voices and humanize science. My goal is to demystify complex scientific topics through engaging storytelling and multimedia tools. I hold a BA in social communication and journalism from Colombia and an MA in media innovation with an emphasis on science communication from the University of Nevada, Reno. In my free time, I enjoy dancing to Latin music, biking, and hiking in the mountains.
