Each year, the National Association of Science Writers and its conference partners offer various attendance grants to help colleagues in need participate in our ScienceWriters national meeting. For ScienceWriters2023 — to be held this fall online and onsite in Colorado — the following opportunities are available:
NASW: Community Support Grant
Are you in need of financial support to participate in ScienceWriters2023 either in person or virtually? Apply for a NASW Community Support Grant to offset travel costs (e.g. flights, lodging); remote attendance costs (e.g. headset, microphone); and/or assist with caregiving costs (e.g. childcare costs, elder care costs).
NASW will reimburse up to $1,200 in travel expenses for in-person attendees and up to $350 in other expenses for virtual attendees. As part of the grant, awardees may be asked to complete a reporting assignment — either filing a short news story covering a conference session, or filing photos/screenshots of conference proceedings.
Application due date is Thursday, August 10. If sufficient funds remain, we will continue to accept applications on a rolling basis after August 10. You may apply before you have made a final decision about in-person vs. virtual attendance. International applicants are welcomed; those applying for travel assistance should already have permission to travel to the US (e.g. an existing visa). You do not need to be an NASW member to apply. Awardees who are eligible for NASW membership, but are not current members, will receive a complimentary membership (Professional, Student, and Affiliate).
These NASW grants are supported by its Authors Coalition of America funds and by members of the National Association of Science Writers via the NASW Community Fund. To support a colleague’s virtual or in-person attendance, please consider contributing to the Community Fund.
CASW: New Horizons Travel Fellowship
Eligibility: The CASW travel fellowships are intended primarily for journalists from smaller metropolitan print and broadcast news outlets, as well as freelance and online journalists with a demonstrated interest in science writing.
Description: The fellowships, provided by the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing, offer up to $1,200 to cover the costs of in-person attendance at ScienceWriters2023 in Colorado. CASW traveling fellows are expected to provide a written report or social-media curation on the New Horizons program or to serve as mentors or editors for participants in the ComSciCon-SciWri workshop.
To apply: Applications may be submitted online here. Submit 1) a brief (no more than 500-word) expression of interest; 2) a resume; 3) no more than three news clips, posts or transcripts on any topic; and 4) a nominating letter from a senior editor, news director or producer.
Application deadline: Thursday, August 10, 2023
NEW: SWARM Student Grants
One of the many independently organized regional professional groups for science writing, the Science Writers Association of the Rocky Mountains (SWARM) is also offering grants for ScienceWriters2023. One grant of up to $1,000 is available to a student who is not based in the greater Denver-Boulder metro area. The intent of this grant is to help defray travel, lodging and registration costs for a student who has to travel a significant distance to attend the national conference. One or more additional grants of up to $250 are available to students who are based in the Denver-Boulder metro area. The intent of these grants is to help defray registration and incidental costs (such as gas, other transportation expenses, and meals) for a student to attend the conference in person. Due date Aug. 29 — eligibility and instructions at https://www.sciwrirockies.com
Held each year, the ScienceWriters conferences provide a gathering place for professionals and students working across the science news landscape. From journalists to institutional writers, from editors to producers, from seasoned science communicators to those exploring science and technology beats, from mentors to students, the events provide opportunities for skills development, new tools practice, professional networking, and topic debates for every attendee.
A co-production of the National Association of Science Writers (NASW), the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing (CASW), the University of Colorado Boulder, and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, ScienceWriters2023 continues this tradition with craft and career workshops organized by NASW members, New Horizons in Science briefings curated by CASW, plus receptions and tours in Colorado hosted by CU Boulder and the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Follow #SciWri23 to join the conversation. Registration opens August 1, 2023.
Founded in 1934 with a mission to fight for the free flow of science news, NASW is an organization of ~ 2,500 professional journalists, authors, editors, producers, public information officers, students and people who write and produce material intended to inform the public about science, health, engineering, and technology. To learn more, visit www.nasw.org
