Please note – due to the current limitations of the IWMF’s resources, at this time we do not have the capacity to provide emergency assistance to journalists based outside the United States. Support the Emergency Fund’s longevity with a donation today. 

If you are based in the U.S. and are seeking emergency assistance, please use this intake form. 

IWMF Emergency Fund

We established the IWMF Emergency Fund in 2013 to provide women journalists with a lifeline of support in times of crisis.

The IWMF Emergency Fund provides women journalists with:

• Small grants for psychological and medical care for incidents directly related to threats and crises caused by one’s work as a journalist;
• Three months of temporary relocation assistance in the event of crisis or threat;
• Legal aid to counter threats of imprisonment or censorship;
• Non-financial assistance in the form of information about additional access to resources.

To be eligible for the IWMF Emergency Fund, candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Be a staff or freelance woman reporter, working in any medium, whose primary profession is journalism;
• Have worked full-time as a journalist within six months of applying for assistance;
• Apply for assistance with a crisis situation directly connected to work as a journalist.

The Journalists in Distress (JID) Network

The International Women’s Media Foundation is a member of the Journalists in Distress Network, a group of 18 international organizations that provide direct assistance to journalists and media workers whose lives or careers are threatened because of their work. Each organization has its own mandate and criteria for emergency assistance; the Network does not engage in joint advocacy. The JID Network was established in 2006 to allow member organizations with freedom of expression mandates to more easily share information, coordinate joint efforts and avoid duplication.