Recently ASJA has received a grant from the National Institute of Health Care Management (NIHCM) Foundation for ASJA’s first-ever national reporting project on the topic “Gender Identity and Mental Health: What’s the Cost?” The goal of this grant is to fuel a national conversation about the significant mental health risks facing gay and transgender youth. ASJA Confidential sat down with President Sherry Beck Paprocki to get the scoop on this exciting project, grants from which are only available to members and associate members. Detailed information about what’s needed to be included in your grant proposal was sent to members in an e-blast late last week.
Please tell us a little bit about the grant. How did you hear about it and what did applying for it involve? I am a firm believer that grants are out there, it just takes some time to find and apply for them. Back in 2016, I noticed the NIHCM Foundation offered grants and applied for one on behalf of ASJA for a national reporting project about the opioid epidemic. While ASJA did not receive that grant, in 2017 I applied for another on gender identity. The request was for $50,000 and $35,000 was approved.
How will the grant be utilized? The funds will enable ASJA to provide mini-grants of up to $2,000 for members who report and publish feature stories of at least 1,500-2,000 words on the topic. Additional mini-grants of up to $500 will be awarded to members who pitch personal essays. Essays can range from 500-1,200 or more words, based on publication requirements. All stories and essays, though, must have information related to the costs of treatment, and in order to receive a grant, applicants will already need to have editors express interest in their topic. Publication can either be print or digital.
An additional segment of the grant will solicit essays from gay and transgender youth, so watch for upcoming updates on that aspect of the project.
What are you looking for in terms of story ideas? Gender identity encompasses a broad range of potential stories. For example, in 2009, while researching a juvenile biography on Ellen DeGeneres, I discovered that depression and attempted suicide rates are high among gay and transsexual teens. What I did not know until recently, though, is many of the largest children’s hospitals across the country have mental health professionals and physicians who work with children and teens on gender-related issues on an everyday basis. Additionally, mental health agencies also provide assistance to parents and children in coping with various gender identity issues.
Just to get you started, here are some facts from the original grant request:
- Gay and transgender teens are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual counterparts, according to the first-ever national study of lesbian, gay and bisexual students’ health by the Centers for Disease Control.
- According to the Human Rights Campaign, suicide disproportionately affects LGBTQ communities and is driven by stigma, abuse and harassment.
- Across America, one in every 137 teenagers is dealing with the question of gender identity.
- A study done by the Urban Institute demonstrated higher rates of dating violence among gay and bisexual youth compared to heterosexual youth. The study reports that 29 percent of heterosexual youth reported being physically abused by dating partners, while 42.8 percent of LGB youth reported the same.
Do writers need to have any particular qualifications? As mentioned earlier, grants are open to any ASJA member or associate member. It probably helps to have a healthcare writing background, but that certainly is not required.
What is the timeline and procedure for applying to this project? The firm deadline for submitting a complete proposal is noon EST on Thursday, Feb. 15 and must include confirmation of the publication editor’s interest. ASJA’s grant advisory committee will review proposals and are looking to select a geographically and culturally diverse group of writers to participate in this project. Grant recipients will be contacted by mid-March and will be required to sign a letter of commitment. The ASJA’s Board of Directors will approve grants at its meeting on Thursday, March 22. Funds will be distributed once your story is scheduled for publication.
What are the requirements for application?
- For features, a two- or three-paragraph pitch. The finished article should include at least one paragraph pertaining to healthcare costs. While such costs should be related to mental health care, they can also involve physical care. If you are pitching a personal essay, you must submit the entire essay.
- For features, a brief bio of your work with up to three links to feature stories you’ve written. If you’re submitting an essay, there is no need to include links.
- A letter of interest, which can also be in the form of an email, from a national or regional magazine, newspaper or online editor who plans to publish your article or essay within the next year. Please provide contact information for the editor so that the grant advisory committee can follow up, if necessary.
- Editors and publishers must agree to allow you to retain the rights to republish your work in ASJA, NIHCM publications and websites. In addition, you must retain your rights in case of additional opportunities to republish the body of work created by the project.
- Your promise to promote the project on your social media. Since we will be promoting this on social media, please also include a list of your social media sites and audience size. Opportunities to promote will include the ASJA/NIHCM connection, your role in the project and your completed piece.
- A bulleted list of any multimedia additions to your article or essay. Are there photographs, video or audio clips that will be available to enhance your proposed article?
Materials within this application should be combined into one PDF document to be submitted to the committee at asjagrant@gmail.com
Do you see a book in this project’s future?
This first grant does not include funding for a book project. However, we haven’t ruled out that possibility. We are asking grant participants to retain rights to their articles so that other opportunities for publication can be explored.
For further questions or for details or not available here or in last Thursday’s e-blast please email asjagrant@gmail.com to reach the grant advisory committee and a soon-to-be-designated managing editor for the project. Good luck!
There’s still time to lasso your spot at Write in the Heart of Texas on Saturday, Feb. 3, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. at the Joe C. Thompson Center in Austin! Click here to register. Interested in volunteering or discussing sponsorship opportunities? Email asjatx@gmail.com.