Access to Safe and Clean Water is crucial to human development. Sustainable Development Goal #6 captures the essence of water by committing to making safe and affordable drinking water available for all by the year 2030. Despite this, many parts of the world are currently having significant challenges with access to safe water. Issues like climate change, and the way that we live, are putting unsustainable demands on the global supply of freshwater. In essence, we are using more freshwater than we can regenerate, and this has led to approximately 10% of the world’s population currently lacking access to clean and fresh water.

The National Geographic Society’s World Freshwater Initiative seeks to illuminate the status of freshwater supplies and demands globally by highlighting areas of water shortage, assessing human use of water on local and regional ecosystems and exploring the impact of climate change on water provinces around the world. The World Freshwater Initiative has two key components that help us accomplish this:

The World Water Map, a powerful geo-visualization of water availability globally. It promotes water literacy, informs audiences of freshwater issues at the global and hyper-local level, and helps answer important questions such as: where are the world’s “water gaps,” where human demand for freshwater outpaces the renewable supply? What sectors are driving this demand?

Grantmaking in the areas of storytelling, conservation and education. Through these grants, we’re cultivating a community of Explorers who are inspiring actions that promote sustainable water use.

In partnership with the Conrad Hilton Foundation’s Safe Water Initiative, The National Geographic Society seeks submissions from storytellers interested in creating and disseminating content that raises public awareness and engagement of important issues around the sustainable use of freshwater resources.

Who should apply
This RfP will support accomplished and talented storytellers from across the world. However, those working in areas where the National Geographic Society has a low representation of storytelling Explorers, such as sub-Saharan Africa and Western Asia, Middle East and North Africa are particularly encouraged to apply.

A variety of content formats, including, but not limited to, Photography, Film and Video, Mapmaking, Data Visualization, Written Word, Spoken Word, etc. will be considered. Projects that dig deeper into the challenges facing specific communities such as last mile households, low-income households, women and girls, and children face in achieving equitable access to freshwater and how these issues are worsening as freshwater scarcity increases are encouraged. Applications are also encouraged for projects that highlight specific solutions to these challenges, and elevate the voices of individuals, organizations and communities at the forefront.

Storytellers who have lived in or have significant experience working in the communities where their stories are focused or will collaborate with organizations in these communities will be prioritized. Applicants should show a record of successful media projects and must submit a portfolio as part of their application packet.