The Everyday Projects grant
The Everyday Projects is excited to announce our 2021 grant for photographers around the world to focus on a long-term project in their community.
—APPLICATIONS FOR THIS YEAR’S GRANT HAVE CLOSED—
At the core of The Everyday Projects’ mission is a belief in support of photojournalists from diverse backgrounds as they develop their craft. In a new effort to help provide this vital support, The Everyday Projects will award two grants to photographers to work on a long-term project.
In addition to receiving $6,000 each, the two grantees will receive mentorship for the duration of their project from either Mallory Benedict of National Geographic or Jehan Jillani of The Guardian.
Applications are now open. Apply using the form below! Applications are due June 14 at midnight PT. Grantees will be announced in August.
Who should apply
Preference will be given to photographers who have contributed to The Everyday Projects or are members of the African Photojournalism Database. In your application, you will be asked for links of your contributions to an Everyday account on Instagram. (African Photojournalism Database members can instead link to the APJD membership page).
We will prioritize supporting projects that align with The Everyday Projects’ approach to storytelling, including:
Stories that defy stereotypical imagery, promote human dignity, and correct misrepresentation.
Projects that are rooted in documentary photography. If your project is outside of what would be considered traditional photojournalism, please explain your process in your application. This could be projects primarily consisting of portraiture, a collaborative project with the people you photograph, mixed media, etc. We are open to these creative approaches.
To read more about our organizational values, visit our About page.
We will prioritize photographers who are documenting their own community or region. Photographers can be based anywhere in the world.
You can apply to continue a project or start a new one. Your proposal must include a portfolio of 15 to 30 images. If you are proposing to continue a project, your portfolio can include images from that project, as well as other work. If you are proposing to start a new project, your portfolio should show any other relevant work.
Your project must be completed within one year of receiving a grant.
Our hope is that this grant will provide support and mentorship to photographers who are working on one of their first long-term projects and have had limited exposure to national and international assignments and publications. Applicants should demonstrate an openness to taking feedback and learning. Grantees will be guided through their projects by their mentors and the Everyday team as if it is a long-term assignment.
mentors
“As a photo editor for an international publication, I’m always eager to collaborate with photographers around the globe to broaden our perspectives and gain a deeper understanding of issues that may be underreported. Our visual language is constantly evolving, and fostering collaborative relationships with photographers from a wide range of countries is critically important as media platforms strive to embrace a more diverse and nuanced approach to storytelling.”
Mallory Benedict is a Photo Editor on the History and Culture desk for National Geographic, commissioning original photography across print, digital, and mobile platforms. She uses the past to understand present-day issues in her work, including stories on the legacy of the Suffrage movement, Stonewall Riots and protests in Hong Kong. Mallory is also the Programs Manager for Women Photograph, an initiative that elevates the work of women and nonbinary photographers around the globe. She graduated from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism where she studied photojournalism, anthropology, and political science.
Jehan Jillani is a Picture and Visuals Editor at the Guardian US, where she commissions photography for feature stories and special projects that come out of the New York, DC, and Oakland offices. She also contributes to visual stories for the website at large. Prior to joining The Guardian, Jehan worked as a photo editor at National Geographic and The New Yorker. Her work has been recognized by the Society of Publication Designers and American Photography, and she has spoken about photography at numerous educational institutions. Jehan is a graduate of Smith College and was born and raised in Islamabad, Pakistan. She is now based in Brooklyn, NY.
“As someone who grew up in Pakistan at the height of The War on Terror, I was always disheartened to see reductionist portrayals of my country in major international news outlets. The work being done by The Everyday Projects ensures that such exclusionary traditions are finally done away with. I’m so pleased to be working with them — and what is going to be an undoubtedly brilliant crew of photographers — to elevate this mission.”
Grant selection committee
*Mallory Benedict and Jehan Jillani will also be on the Grant Selection Committee
Luisa Dörr, a member of Everyday Latin America, is a Brazilian photographer whose work is mainly focused on the feminine human landscape. Through the quietness of her storytelling, she uses the portrait as a vehicle to tell narratives and explore the complexity of human nature and femininity. Luisa's work has been published in TIME, National Geographic, The New York Times, PDN, and many others. In 2018, she won POYi Documentary Project of the Year and Magenta Flash Forward Award. In 2019, she won 3rd prize for the portrait stories category of the World Press Photo Award. Based in Bahia, Brazil, Luisa is working on long-term projects related to racial rights and the role of women in agrobusiness.
Miora Rajaonary, a member of Everyday Africa, is a documentary photographer born and raised in Madagascar, currently based in Mauritius. Through her work, she focuses on social issues and identities in contemporary Africa, striving to find new and undercovered angles and stories on the continent. Miora is a National Geographic Explorer. She was named the winner of the Juror’s Choice of the 2019 edition of THE FENCE, won First Prize at the Addis Foto Fest’s Portfolio Review in December 2018, and was one of the four winners of the inaugural Getty + Array Grant in July 2018.
Smita Sharma, a member of Everyday Southeast Asia, is a photojournalist and visual storyteller based in Delhi, India, reporting on critical human rights and social issues in her own community and across the Global South — for Human Rights Watch, National Geographic, and other outlets. From documenting the effects of pregnancy on girls’ education in Kenya to child marriage in Nepal and sex-trafficking across India and Bangladesh, Smita is committed to representing people with dignity and telling underrepresented stories with impact. She is an IWMF Reporting Fellow and a TED Fellow. Her work has been exhibited globally, including at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Amy Yenkin is an independent producer and editor with 25+ years of experience in social issue documentary photography, arts and social change, philanthropy, non profit management, and strategic planning. She is currently the co-director and producer of We, Women, the largest social impact photo-based art project by women and gender nonconforming artists currently underway across the United States. She also co-produced and edited Witnesses To War: The Children of Syria by Bassam Khabieh (Spring 2021). Amy is the former director of the Open Society Foundations’ Documentary Photography Project, a program she founded and launched in 2004. During her tenure at OSF, she exhibited and funded more than 300 photographers documenting human rights and social issues globally.
APPLY HERE
Applications for this year's grant have closed. Finalists will be notified in August.
FAQ
Applications must be written in English. If your English is not strong, please do your best to get your ideas across. If we have questions, we will follow up with you.
There is no application fee.
Grantees will retain copyright ownership of their work. We will ask grantees for promotional use of some images.
You may apply with more than one project.
The Everyday Projects is a partner of ACOS Alliance (ACOS stands for “A Culture of Safety”), and we will work with ACOS and grant recipients to consider safety and security in their projects as they work, including how to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please read the ACOS principles and resources, and please visit our COVID-19 Guide for Visual Journalists for more resources on working during the pandemic.
Please reach out with any questions: grants@everydayprojects.org
APPLICATION TIPS
Preparing a Portfolio
Showcase your strongest work.
We have a preference for seeing projects/stories instead of single images. In 30 images, you can show 2-3 projects.
If you are proposing to continue a project, your portfolio can include images from that project, as well as other work. If you are proposing to start a new project, your portfolio should show any previous, relevant work.
Less is more; don’t feel that you have to include 30 images. Showing 20 strong images is better than 20 strong images and 10 weak images.
Make sure that all of your images include captions describing who, what, when, where, and why. Send captions in the body of the same email (or WeTransfer) containing your images.
Name your images FirstNameLastName_01, FirstNameLastName_02 … FirstNameLastName_30. Make sure your captions have the same naming system.
Proposal
While there is no exact recipe for a successful proposal, here are some tips to keep in mind:
Be as specific as possible. Don’t just name a broad issue that you would like to photograph; tell us how you will approach this topic, where, when, how, etc.
Show a personal connection to the project. Why do you want to tell this story? Why are you the best person to tell this story?
Be unique. If you are proposing a project on a well-known issue, then how are you going to tell the story differently?
We recommend watching The Everyday Projects webinar on how to apply for grants and fellowships, made with our friends at the Pulitzer Center, National Geographic Society, and the International Women’s Media Foundation. Their tips for success are applicable to The Everyday Projects Grant.