The CatchLight Global Fellowship addresses a pressing need in the visual storytelling industry by supporting innovative leaders. Acting as an incubator, it provides financial support in the form of $30,000 grants, fosters personal growth, and develops networking and partnerships.

The fellowship awards visual storytellers who are poised to ignite social change through their photography, videography or leadership by leveraging the power of visuals to create impactful  audience engagement and innovative distribution models. 

You can apply for the award if you are a:

• Visual storyteller whose projects address specific social-impact objectives
• Creative leader with plans to advance or grow the field of visual storytelling
• Educator with innovative approaches to supporting emerging visual storytellers

Eligibility Requirements for the CatchLight Global Fellowship

• Long-form storyteller with a specific impact project
• Leader with a plan to advance/or grow the field
• Educator with innovative approaches to supporting upcoming storytellers

Proposals will be assessed on how they employ and strengthen new methods and potential solutions with an eye towards one or more of the following target outcomes:

• Innovative Distribution: Testing a new distribution method of an existing project to effectively engage a specific audience through visuals.
• Community Activations: Testing how visual storytelling can be leveraged to engage specific audiences and/or address specific community information needs
• Field sustainability: building systems and models that push the field of visual storytelling or media ecosystem forward.

Benefits of the Fellowship

• $30,000 award
• Potential access to additional future funding through the CatchLight Impact Fund
• Paid travel and accommodations for the 2024 CatchLight Visual Storytelling Summit, April 26-28 in San Francisco. 
• Personal development opportunities, including executive coaching
• Impact strategy and networking support from CatchLight staff and our extended network. 
• A community of like-minded Fellows and industry professionals with opportunities for mentorship, education and speaking engagements.

Note: A CatchLight Global Fellowship is awarded for life. Fellows are encouraged to share expertise beyond their Fellowship cohort year, and CatchLight hopes that Fellows will offer and seek mentorship within the community throughout their careers. 

Application Requirements for the CatchLight Global Fellowship

• A fellowship statement on how visuals in general and your work specifically ignite social change, who your work aims to inform and what human connections your work creates (100 words).
• A thesis statement summarizing what you would like to do and why. 100 words
• A description of the proposed work (250 words).
• A description of your distribution, engagement and/or impact plan that identifies your target audience for this work (250 words).
• A plan to gather impact feedback (100 words).
• A timeline for the work which can extend beyond the grant period.
• A budget estimate for the proposed work. This budget can exceed the award amount but please note where CatchLight funds would be used.

Download: Free msmehub.org budget template

• Three topic ideas for sharing learning with the CatchLight community
• 10-20 images which, if awarded, CatchLight has the rights to use in promotional materials.
• Three professional references. Contact information must include email and phone number.
• A short bio
• A copy of your curriculum vitae.

Click here for more information about the fellowship.

Apply for the CatchLight Fellowship here on or before December 9, 2023.