Aftermath Project “War is only half the story.” This organization’s important mission is to help reveal the other half of the story: the aftermath. Stories of devastation and loss, but also of reconstruction and regeneration. Founded by a photojournalist, Sara Terry, who investigated the consequences of the Bosnian war, The Aftermath Project’s main goal is to fund photographers who are covering the aftereffects of conflict through an annual grant competition. The money for the grants for the 2006 program was raised through the auction of photographs generously donated by some of the most recognized photojournalists, fine art photographers, and reportage photographers. The site offers an impressive gallery of the auction photos, as well as guidelines for applying for the grants.
 

Alexia Foundation Each year this foundation awards professional and student grants to photographers, encouraging work that promotes world peace and cultural understanding. There is a cash grant to help professional photographers realize a photo documentary project as well as a scholarship for student photographers to study photojournalism at Syracuse University in London, England. The Foundation was established to honor the ideals and spirit of a young photojournalism student killed in a terrorist incident.  

Blue Earth Alliance Based on the idea that “Photographers are the eyes and conscience of society,” Blue Earth Alliance uses the knowledge and experience of its network of members to foster significant documentary projects on cultures, the environment and social issues. The Alliance accepts project proposals from photographers twice a year. Those chosen are guided by selected Alliance board members through the process of organizing, fundraising, shooting and publishing or exhibiting the project. This mentoring approach transmits invaluable experience to emerging documentary photographers, empowering them to bring their stories to light.  

Center for Photography at Woodstock Photographer’s Fellowship Fund The Center for Photography at Woodstock wants “to build audiences, enhance dialogue, and encourage inquiry about contemporary photography and related media.” The Fellowship Fund was established to recognize and support the work of New York State photographers, providing two annual grants of $1,000. Guidelines and application forms can be found on the packed web site, along with information on programs in education, gallery space exhibitions, Photography Quarterly Magazine, news of artists’ residencies and other services.  

Daylight Community Arts Foundation In addition to publishing the gorgeous bi-annual Daylight Magazine, Daylight Community Arts Foundation (DCAF) has implemented a series of programs that aim to help “underrepresented communities share their stories.” Distributing cameras, establishing darkroom and digital imaging facilities, administering photographic workshops, and curating local and traveling exhibitions are all part of the Foundation’s mission to make photography a vital tool for self-expression and participation in what they have accurately labeled “the global visual dialogue.” Their website also offers great monthly podcasts of narrated photo essays from around the world.  

Eugene Smith Fund Eugene Smith’s legacy of committed, idealistic and humanistic work is perpetuated by this major annual grant of $30,000. The site’s gallery of past winners exhibits the powerful work of established photographers. Although the themes are generally far less optimistic than Smith’s work, they are rigorous and compelling photo essays, true to Smith’s humanistic vision. The Fund also offers the Howard Chapnick Grant for the Advancement of Photojournalism, an annual $5,000 grant to encourage and support leadership in fields connected to photojournalism, such as editing research, education and management. Special preference is given to work that promotes social change or furthers the concerns of photojournalism. Application forms for both grants can be downloaded from the site.  

Fifty Crows International Fund for Documentary Photography As an off-shoot of the venerable Mother Jones Magazine, the Foundation aims to raise public awareness through “Social Change Photography.” Fifty Crows raises and manages a fund that awards annual grants of $5,000 to local and foreign photographers documenting important social and political issues in an assigned region of the world. Their aim in not only to support the independent work of politically and socially engaged photojournalists and documentary photographers, but to give challenging stories the widest possible audience. A well-constructed site gives application information, galleries for the winning projects, and valuable commentary from the judges. A look at the winning projects gives an immediate sense of the value of this program. 

Foundation Grants to Individuals Online A gold mine for grant-seekers, the Foundation Center offers detailed descriptions of more than 6,000 foundation programs that fund students, artists, researchers, and other grant-seekers, all organized in an efficient online database. A monthly subscription fee opens the door to this information bank, which is updated quarterly, and includes tutorials and search tips.  

Getty Grants for Good Getty Images, a giant among purveyors of stock photography and editorial images, supports the work of both committed photographers and grassroots nonprofits when they award their “Grants for Good.” As the Getty Images site explains: “Nonprofit agencies need imagery to tell their stories,” so the agency offers two annual grants of $15,000 to help photographers and nonprofits come together and make the sort of compelling images that create positive change. The grant recipients, chosen by a panel of respected photo-industry professionals, are even offered the support of Getty’s team of art directors, photo editors and producers. Recent winning projects are promoted by Getty Images in the press and prominently featured on the site’s Community Involvement page. 

Getty Images Grants for Editorial Photography The world’s largest stock photography agency, Getty Images, awards five major annual grants of $20,000, with the intention of providing the winning photojournalists the support and the editorial freedom to pursue projects of social and cultural importance. In addition to the funding, recipients receive support from Getty Images' team of photo editors and the resulting work is initially marketed through Getty Images. 

John Gutmann Fellowship Not only did German-born, San Francisco-based photojournalist and teacher John Gutmann leave a lasting legacy of images documenting American life from the Depression era well into the 1990s, he also created a foundation that continues to encourage emerging photographers through the John Gutmann Photography Fellowship. The Foundation offers annual awards of between $5,000 to $10,000 to “an emerging artist who exhibits professional accomplishment, serious artistic commitment, and need in the field of creative photography.” Details for fellowship eligibility are outlined on the site, as well as galleries full of Gutmann’s luminous work. 

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Since 1925, the venerable John Simon Guggenheim Foundation has awarded annual Fellowships to many disciplines, including photography. Supporting individuals only, the Foundation attributes substantial grants to “assist research and artistic creation.” Past Fellows include mature photographers such as Gilles Peress, Eugene Smith and Diane Arbus. Extensive information on the Fellowships, which are only offered to applicants from the Americas, is available in English, Spanish and Portuguese. 

National Arts Policy Database Americans for the Arts, a long time arts advocacy organization, has created a database of resources for individual artists that covers issues from artist’s space to health and safety. The “Funding” section helpfully displays the abstracts and contents of a variety of publications on arts funding in North America. 

Open Society Institute Financier–philanthropist George Soros envisions a world where respect rules: respect of the individual and respect of the institutions of democracy. The Open Society Institute is Soros’s contribution towards shaping this world. The Institute is a grant-making foundation that “aims to shape public policy to promote democratic governance, human rights, and economic, legal, and social reform.” It does this through financial support of local and international projects (including photographic projects), but also by implementing a range of initiatives that deal with issues which are truly impressive in scope: freedom and democracy, human rights, education, public health and access to care as well as transparency and access to information. If these goals seem improbably ambitious, check the web site for a list of the accomplishments and works in progress, and be impressed.  

Yarka's Fund Named in honor of a young photojournalist, Yarka Vendrinska, who valued the personal and empathetic role of old school photojournalism. To mark her passing and most of all to help support the work that she loved, Yarka’s parents created the Yarka Vendrinska Photojournalism Memorial Fund at The Chicago Community Foundation. The Fund offers grants for nonprofits that provide education, training and travel assistance to young photographers. Individuals can benefit from these funds through a nonprofit.