OVERVIEW: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation makes grants to support journalism about health and healthcare. It also funds internships and fellowships to train journalists working in health reporting.
IP TAKE: This is not a traditional journalism funder, but it is a great organization for journalism grantseekers interested in health issues. It does not accept unsolicited requests for funding, so grantseekers should expect to network. Despite its lack of accessibility, this is an open-minded foundation.
PROFILE: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation was founded in 1948 by industrialist and shipping magnate Henry Kaiser and completely restructured in 1991 by current President and CEO Drew Altman. While Kaiser co-founded Kaiser Permanente to provide health care to his employees, the foundation is not affiliated with the health care insurance firm in any way. It seeks to play “a special role as a trusted source of information in a health care world dominated by vested interests.” The foundation is a leader in health policy analysis and health journalism. Unlike traditional grantmakers, Kaiser develops and runs its own policy analysis, journalism and communications programs. These are often conducted in partnership with major news organizations. The foundation provides media internships and fellowships to help journalists learn more about health policy issues through site visits and discussions with experts, reporters and editors.
Grants for Journalism and Public Health
The Kaiser Media Fellowships in Health Reporting is a program for journalists that focuses on the Affordable Care Act. The foundation hosts webinars about health reform and interactive web briefings for journalists on key issues. Another area, its Media Internships and Fellowships program prioritizes global health reporting and seeks to train and engage young journalists.
Kaiser Health News is a source of health policy journalism, and it has staff reporters, public radio station partners, and freelance contributors covering these issues. Grant seekers can learn more about other Kaiser projects here. For example, there is the Health Communication and Media Partnership Program that works with major media, health departments, and others, largely to address HIV/AIDS issues.
Important Grant Details:
This foundation does not accept unsolicited funding requests. It also does not provide academic scholarships or loans. Grantseekers can keep up with the foundation’s activities and interests at its online newsroom.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
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