The IIJ is an education and mutual support organization, but we’re also a community, which is why we’re asking you to help us build the IIJ conference.

Our organization centers and supports BIPOC independent journalists through advocacy, webinars, events, tool creation, the sharing of wisdom, and more. We strive to ensure financial and emotional sustainability for independent journalists of color amid newsroom gatekeepers and fight for fair treatment of freelancers and the ethical use of independent labor.

But we want to hear from you: which editors do you want to learn the art of pitching from? Which publications do you want to land a byline in? What speakers do you want to hear from at our next panel or webinar?

Aside from suggesting speakers and assigning editors, you can also help us by:

• Sharing our events and newsletters with your audience

• Suggesting funders and partners who would be a good fit for our webinars and events

• Making a donation to support our work

• Volunteering to be a chat moderator or convention programming member

Submit all your ideas and thoughts here.

The deadline for proposals is Oct. 23 at 11:59 p.m. ET. All speakers, moderators, and volunteers will receive complimentary conference registration.

The conference will be held Feb. 29-March 1, 2024 from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

Questions? Email IIJ founder Katherine Reynolds Lewis at [email protected] or volunteer wrangler Sa’iyda Shabazz at [email protected] 

As always, thank you for your support.

—Aarohi Sheth, IIJ newsletter writer

Going to Chicago for JAWS Camp? Join the IIJ for a Meetup!

If you’ll be in Chicago for the Journalism & Women Symposium’s 2023 Conference and Mentoring Program CAMP, join the IIJ for a freelance meetup Oct. 13 at 5 p.m. CT before the welcome reception!

You’ll have the opportunity to chat with IIJ leaders including founder Katherine Reynolds Lewis and other independent journalists in Chicago and beyond!

Click here to RSVP.

Visit the JAWS site for more information.

Pitch Callouts, Fellowships, and Other Opportunities

The Open Notebook’s Early-Career Fellowship Program

If you’re a science journalist with fewer than three years regular professional science writing experience, consider applying to the Open Notebook’s Early-Career Fellowship Program.

Fellows receive a $6,000 stipend.

For more information or to apply, visit their site here.

The deadline to apply is Oct. 31.

Audubon Society Call for Pitches

Audubon Society is looking for pieces about the issues that conservation-minded and bird-loving readers must be aware of.

Rates: starting at 50 cents/word

Email all story ideas to [email protected] 

Visit their pitch guide here.

International Women’s Media Foundation Grant

The International Women’s Media Foundation is accepting applications on a rolling basis for professional development opportunities and reporting projects led by women and nonbinary journalists.

Average grant size: $6,000

For more information, visit their site here.

https:/for-women-journalistThe Wall Street Journal Finance Reporting Fellowship

If you’re an early career journalist interested in covering financial markets or personal finance, consider applying to WSJ’s finance reporting fellowship.

Fellows will spend 12 months in the New York newsroom as full-time reporting staff members. One will be with The WSJ’s Finance team, while the other will be with the Personal Finance team on the Life & Work desk.

The pay range is between $40,000 and $70,000

For more information or to apply, visit their site.

The deadline to apply is Nov. 10, 2023 by 11:59 p.m. ET.

Interesting Reads

• Read S. Mitra Kalita’s “How to End the Unfairness of Invisible Work” for Charter’s partnership with TIME. In it, she details the “unpaid, unacknowledged, and thus, unregulated” work that women and people of color do for organizations and outlines the labor injustices within.

• Read John Koopman’s “Confessions of a Journalist Turned Weed Smuggler” for the Economic Hardship Reporting Project. In it, he bravely discusses how he went from being a journalist for 25 years to a weed bootlegger.

• We're always eager to connect with freelance journalists of color who'd like to be involved in the work of the IIJ or contribute to future programs. Email [email protected] to volunteer—or if you have an idea for a partner, funder or topic we should explore.

Calendar

We love growing the IIJ family and connecting with fellow freelance journalists, so please come to one of our events! Here are the upcoming IIJ events:

• Oct. 13 freelance meetup in Chicago at JAWS camp. RSVP here to attend.

• Oct. 27 long-form journalism careers webinar. RSVP here to attend.

• Nov. 16 AIR webinar on the business of freelancing. For more information, click here.

• Nov. 17 business and personal finance editors panel. RSVP here to attend.

• Dec. 8 travel and lifestyle freelancing webinar. RSVP here to attend.

• Jan. 19 insurance for freelancers webinar. RSVP here to attend.

• Feb. 9 sports and fitness journalism webinar. RSVP here to attend.

• April 12-April 14 presentation at the 2024 Women in Journalism workshop at the Reynolds Journalism Institute. For more information, click here.