J-Lab offers $10K grants for women entrepreneurs in news/information

MGP2006/JTM alumna Jan Schaffer sends along email about the McCormick Tribune New Media Women Entreneurs (NMWE) initiative -- competitive grants to spur new ideas in the world of news and information. Winners will be given $10,000 in funding to launch their ideas and blog about the process over the next year, Schaffer says. The deadline for proposals is May 1, 2008. Schaffer, who heads J-Lab at UM-College Park, says its "part of a unique initiative to address issues of opportunity and innovation, recruitment and retention for women in journalism." The initiative will:

• Provide $10,000 each to help launch three women-led news ideas.--Honor a New Media Woman Entrepreneur of the Year in an awards program.
• Research women¹s consumption and creation of news and explore creative opportunities in today¹s newsrooms.
• Produce a day-long Women Entrepreneurs Summit to unveil pilot projects, spotlight other entrepreneurial ideas, and release research findings.

A link to the application is here: http://www.newmediawomen.org/application/apply/

"Why are we doing this?" asks Schaffer. She answers her own question: "I think of this as an 'asset mapping' project. Women make the vast majority of household purchasing decisions. Women often articulate different definitions of 'news.' Yet existing research tells us that for the past two decades, women have comprised two-thirds of journalism school enrollments but make up only one-third of newsroom workforces. Many women who do become journalists leave prematurely; others say they plan to. Still others are leaving to make their ideas a reality in cyberspace. We want to create a safe haven for women to show their stuff and model the creative attributes they can bring to the table."

CONTACT: Jan Schaffer / Executive Director / J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism 7100 Baltimore Ave., Suite 101 College Park, MD 20740 Ph: 301-985-4020 Fx: 301-985-4021 jans@j-lab.org