Journalism Diversity Fund

The Journalism Diversity Fund (JDF) awards bursaries to people from diverse backgrounds who need help funding their NCTJ journalism training.

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Journalism Diversity Fund bursaries can help cover the costs of NCTJ course fees and/or living expenses. Recipients will also be paired with a working journalist to mentor them throughout their studies.

Journalism is a typically white, middle-class profession, which needs to change. If you feel you could bring something different to a newsroom, such as your social background, ethnicity, disability or life experiences, then you could be eligible for a bursary.

Eligibility

To apply you must first have secured a place on an NCTJ-accredited diploma course. Undergraduate degree and distance learning courses are not eligible for JDF funding.

Please note, the JDF is generally unable to cover the cost of MA course fees, in cases where postgraduate loans are available. If you are planning on studying on an MA course, you can still apply to the JDF for assistance with living expenses and/or travel costs (or other needs) while studying. If you have any questions, please email jdf@nctj.com.

Those who have already started a course are not eligible to apply, the course start date must be after the bursary has been awarded.

You must also be able to demonstrate that:

  • You are a British Citizen residing in the UK.
  • You can bring diversity to a newsroom and are in financial need
  • You have a genuine commitment and potential to be a successful journalist
  • You are not in receipt of any other bursary award
Application process

Once you have applied for an NCTJ-accredited course, you can complete our online application form. This will ask for information about you, your diversity, financial need and passion for journalism. It will also ask you to detail your previous journalism experience.

Applications are then shortlisted by a panel of journalists. If shortlisted, you will be invited to attend an interview with a panel of senior industry figures so that a final decision can be made.

Click here to view our application schedule.

Apply now

Specialist bursaries

Each year, specialist bursaries are awarded to successful Journalism Diversity Fund recipients. The first in honour of a brilliant journalist, the second from the Aziz Foundation and the third with the Football Writers' Association.

The Thomas Read bursary

The Thomas Read bursary

The Thomas Read bursary is awarded each year to an applicant who has been awarded funding from the Journalism Diversity Fund and has a long-term illness, health problem or disability.

The Thomas Read bursary was set up in the memory of the Sky Sports News journalist Thomas Read, who died unexpectedly in 2015, aged 25.

The award winner will receive their funding from the Thomas Read Foundation, and will also receive a work experience opportunity at Sky Sports News.

When applying to the Journalism Diversity Fund, you will be asked if you have a long-term illness, health problem or disability and want to be considered for the Thomas Read bursary.

The winner(s) will be chosen by the family of Thomas Read and presented with the award in the autumn.

The Aziz Foundation bursary

The Aziz Foundation bursary

Bursaries are available through our sponsor the Aziz Foundation for recipients who identify as British Muslim and who are suitably engaged with Muslim communities in the UK.

At the point of application, JDF candidates can specify whether they wish to be considered for Aziz Foundation scholarships as part of the support they are requesting from the JDF.

The Aziz Foundation is a family charitable foundation established to nurture confident, articulate public leaders of Muslim background who are able to critically engage with public narratives and address the social challenges facing British Muslim communities and wider society.

Since 2015 the Foundation has been partnering with universities by offering scholarships schemes for British Muslims hoping to pursue postgraduate study at Masters level.

The Foundation’s work is guided by principles of social justice, compassion and cooperation. It recognises that Muslims make an invaluable contribution to the fabric of this country empowers them to fulfil their true potential and continue making positive contributions to their communities and beyond.

The Football Writers' Association bursary

The Football Writers' Association bursary

The FWA Bursary is designed to encourage those that are currently under-represented in the journalism industry or those that have faced hardship in entering the profession.

As well as financial support via the Journalism Diversity Fund, the successful candidate will also join the FWA’s hugely successful mentorship scheme as well as benefitting from a network of over 800 of the country’s leading journalists and broadcasters.

Supporters

As an industry-supported fund, we wouldn't be able to award bursaries without the generous donations of our supporters.

NLA media access

Founding sponsor

NLA media access

Founding sponsor

The NLA media access was established by the UK ‘s national newspapers in 1995 to manage copyright collection. It authorises paper and digital copying on behalf of national, regional and international newspapers, including 1300 in the UK , for over 6000 corporate clients. At the launch of the Journalism Diversity Fund, at the Society of Editors’ conference in 2005, the NLA pledged to support the ongoing development and financing of the fund.

Google News Initiative

Lead sponsor

Google News Initiative

Lead sponsor

The Google News Initiative is Google’s effort to work with the news industry to help journalism thrive in the digital age. Today’s news organisations and media entrepreneurs are inventing new ways to discover, create and distribute news content – and we’re here to provide tools, data and programmes designed to help.

Aziz Foundation

Aziz Foundation

The Aziz Foundation is a family charitable foundation established to nurture confident, articulate public leaders of Muslim background who are able to critically engage with public narratives and address the social challenges facing British Muslim communities and wider society.

Since 2015 the Foundation has been partnering with universities by offering scholarships schemes for British Muslims hoping to pursue postgraduate study at Masters level.

BBC News

BBC News

BBC News is recognised around the world for its independence, impartiality and integrity. In the UK, BBC News reaches 41 million people in the UK – that’s 81% of the adult population – every week on radio, television and online. Flagship programmes like Today, the News at Ten, the News Channel, News Online, Newsnight and Panorama strive to bring an unparalleled level of coverage and analysis to news, business, politics and current affairs.

The BBC’s 40 local radio stations now consistently reach more than seven million listeners across the UK. Globally, the World Service, BBC World News and bbc.com/news reach more than 240 million people in around 200 countries and territories.

Bloomberg

Bloomberg

Bloomberg, the global business and financial information and news leader, gives influential decision makers a critical edge by connecting them to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas.

The company’s strength – delivering data, news and analytics through innovative technology, quickly and accurately – is at the core of the Bloomberg Professional service. Bloomberg’s enterprise solutions build on the company’s core strength: leveraging technology to allow customers to access, integrate, distribute and manage data and information across organisations more efficiently and effectively.

BMJ

BMJ

BMJ is a global healthcare knowledge provider with a vision for a healthier world, sharing knowledge and expertise to improve healthcare outcomes. The organisation publishes one of the world’s top four most cited general medical journals, The BMJ, and more than 70 scientific and allied journals. It also supports healthcare professionals by providing clinical decision support, events and e-learning tools and resources. As an employer and a leading voice in global medicine and health, BMJ strongly opposes racism and supports racial equity because more equal societies are healthier societies.

Business Insider

Business Insider

Business Insider is a business-first global news organisation, publishing news and stories with a particular focus on technology and innovation.

Our audience is characterized by their forward-thinking, optimistic and ambitious nature, coupled with a strong desire for personal, professional and societal growth.

Launched in 2007, Business Insider has more than 132 million unique monthly visitors and 750 million video views each month. It has nine editions around the world in six languages.

Business Insider is a subsidiary of Axel Springer SE.

CNN International

CNN International

CNN’s portfolio of news and information services is available in seven different languages across all major TV, digital and mobile platforms, reaching more than 475 million households around the globe. CNN International is the number one international TV news channel according to all major media surveys across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific region, and Latin America and has a US presence that includes CNNgo.

CNN Digital is a leading network for online news, mobile news and social media. CNN is at the forefront of digital innovation and continues to invest heavily in expanding its digital global footprint, with a suite of award-winning digital properties and a range of strategic content partnerships, commercialised through a strong data-driven understanding of audience behaviours.

CNN has won multiple prestigious awards around the world for its journalism. Around 1,000 hours of long-form series, documentaries and specials are produced every year by CNNI’s non-news programming division.

CNN has 36 editorial offices and more than 1,100 affiliates worldwide through CNN Newsource. CNN International is a WarnerMedia company.

dmg media

dmg media

dmg media is the management company for five major newspapers – Daily Mail,The Mail on SundayEvening StandardLondon MetroIreland on Sunday and the advertising publication Loot.

Established in 1905, it is a subsidiary of the Daily Mail and General Trust plc (DMGT). Based in Kensington, dmg media also has responsibility for Harmsworth Quays, the London Docklands plant at which it produces all London, south of England and south Wales editions of the titles.

Dow Jones

Dow Jones

Dow Jones is a global provider of news and business information, delivering content to consumers and organizations around the world across multiple formats, including print, digital, mobile and live events. Dow Jones has produced unrivalled quality content for more than 130 years and today has one of the world’s largest newsgathering operations globally. It produces leading publications and products including the flagship Wall Street Journal, America’s largest newspaper by paid circulation; Factiva, Barron’s, MarketWatch, Mansion Global, Financial News, Dow Jones Risk & Compliance and Dow Jones Newswires. Dow Jones is a division of News Corp (Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV).

Financial Times

Financial Times

The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading business news organisations, recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. In 2016 the FT passed a significant milestone in its digital transformation as digital and services revenues overtook print revenues for the first time. The FT has a combined paid print and digital circulation of almost 870,000 and makes 60% of revenues from its journalism.

Channel 4 news

Channel 4 news

Channel 4 is a publicly-owned and commercially-funded UK public service broadcaster, with a statutory remit to deliver high-quality, innovative, alternative content that challenges the status quo.

ITV News

ITV News

ITV News has the second-largest television news audience in the UK and reports on breaking news and the biggest news stories from the UK and around the world.

Journalists' Charity

Journalists' Charity

The Journalists’ Charity was founded by Charles Dickens in 1864 to help journalists and their dependants going through tough times. More than a hundred and fifty years later, the organisation remains committed to providing advice and support to journalists at all ages and stages nationwide. As well as offering help and guidance, the charity provides financial assistance, crisis support and targeted funding for new-starters when there is often nowhere else to turn.

Newsquest

Newsquest

Newsquest is the second largest regional publisher in the UK and has a portfolio of more than 165 news brands and over 40 magazines published in print and online. With an audience of almost 30 million users a month online and six million readers a week in print, our content is read by a substantial portion of the UK population.

News UK

News UK

News UK is one of the leading media businesses in the UK and Ireland. Our newsbrands include The TimesThe Sunday TimesThe SunThe Sun on Sunday and The TLS.  Wireless, our audio business, comprises national stations talkSPORT, Times Radio, talkRADIO and Virgin Radio – home to the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky – as well as market-leading local stations across Ireland.

For more information on our brands please go to www.news.co.uk

PA Media

PA Media

PA Media is the UK’s leading provider of multimedia content and services. As the national news agency for the UK and Ireland, we have reporters, photographers and video journalists delivering the top national news stories of the day, as well as breaking news from around the world.

Our content reflects every aspect of life from news to sport and entertainment with a constant stream of stories, pictures, video, graphics and social media. You can rely on our multimedia content to deliver a high-quality and reliable source of the news wherever it happens.

Printing Charity

Printing Charity

The Printing Charity’s origins were in welfare support for people in the printing industry, but over the years that support has grown to include education. Its support for young people and new talent entering the industry is a growing part of its work, from its own flagship Print Futures Awards to its partnerships with The Queen’s Bindery Apprenticeship scheme, the Stationers’ Foundation Postgraduate Bursary Scheme, the Journalism Diversity Fund, the Stationers’ Company Shine School Media Awards, and industry-specific projects.

Please see www.theprintingcharity.org.uk for more information.

Reach plc

Reach plc

Reach plc is the largest news publisher in the UK, with national and regional news brands and online outlets including the MirrorExpressStarOk!New!Daily RecordManchester Evening News, MyLondon, Birmingham Live, Bristol Live, Liverpool Echo, and other leading regional brands.

For more information visit reachplc.com.

Reuters

Reuters

Reuters is the world’s largest international multimedia news provider. Founded 165 years ago, Reuters provides society with the news it needs to be free, prosperous and informed. Each day 2,500 journalists in nearly 200 locations around the globe deliver unparalleled international and national news coverage in 16 languages with speed, impartiality and insight. Reuters stays true to the letter and spirit of the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles, valuing independence, integrity and freedom from bias.

Sky

Sky

Sky believes it is important that the programmes it makes feel representative for all its viewers. That’s why it is continually challenging itself to increase diversity on and off screen with Sky Sports and Sky News playing leading roles.  Sky has also announced new targets to improve the representation of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people across its entertainment channels, working with the independent production sector to seek out and nurture new talent. These build on Sky’s company-wide commitment to diversity, including the Sky News work placement scheme, which is only open to people from a BAME group or from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Sky is the UK and Ireland’s leading home entertainment and communications company, with around 40% of homes choosing Sky for its range of TV, broadband and home telephony services. Sky is the UK’s biggest investor in television content, investing more than £2.6 billion a year in its channels, with around two-thirds of Sky’s content spend invested in the UK.  Sky also offers its customers innovative ways to watch, whether that’s Sky+; Sky Go on the move; or HD and 3D. Sky is also the UK’s fastest-growing home communications company.

ITN

ITN

Independent Television News (ITN) is a British-based news and content provider. It is made up of three divisions: ITN News, ITN Source and ITN Productions.

Channel 5 news

Channel 5 news

Channel 5 is the UK’s third-largest commercial channel, with a diverse schedule spanning documentaries, popular factual series, accessible and engaging history, inclusive entertainment and reality, scripted shows and acclaimed children’s and news content.

Yahoo News UK

Yahoo News UK

Owned by Verizon Media and launched in 2006, Yahoo News UK presents today’s most important headlines from respected and credible local and national sources.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/

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