The Fund to Support Families of American Journalists Missing, Imprisoned or Held Hostage

Selection Criteria
Selection Process
Grant Application
Donate to the FundSupport the Fund for FamiliesDONATEReporters Without Borders USA is proud to announce the launch of the Fund to Support Families of American Journalists Missing, Imprisoned or Held Hostage. The Fund’s primary purpose is to provide financial assistance to the relatives and colleagues of missing American journalists in their efforts to secure the safe return and/or release of such journalists, including reasonable travel expenses, printing costs, communication expenses, legal expenses, etc.

Support the Fund for Families Now

Reporters Without Borders has been working for decades all over the world with the families, employers and governments of journalists missing, imprisoned or held hostage to provide on-the-ground information and contacts, media strategy advice, platforms for the support committees and any logistic assistance needed according to each specific case.

"The Fund is a new achievement in our assistance activities", said Delphine Halgand, Reporters Without Borders USA Board Treasurer.

Watch the Washington Post 2019 Super Bowl Ad featuring Austin Tice, American journalist being held in Syria. >>

Selection Criteria

These guidelines set forth the criteria that Reporters Without Borders USA (“RSF USA”) will utilize in administering the “Fund to Support Families of American Journalists Missing, Imprisoned or Held Hostage” (the “Fund”). RSF USA may impose other requirements that it determines, in its sole discretion, to be reasonable and necessary to administer the Fund.

The Fund’s primary purpose is to provide financial assistance to the relatives and colleagues of missing American journalists in their efforts to secure the safe return and/or release of such journalists, including reasonable travel expenses, printing costs, communication expenses, legal expenses, etc. However, financial assistance will not be provided to those who intend to use the grant for a ransom, or related payment to secure the safe return of American journalists.

i) Grant recipients can be any individual that is seeking to secure the release of American journalists missing, improperly detained, unfairly imprisoned, kidnapped, or held hostage.

ii) Grants applicants must demonstrate reasonable financial expenditures that they have incurred and which are directly related to their efforts to secure the safe return of a missing American journalist.

iii) Reporters Without Borders USA must be able to verify that the request regards an American journalist and to verify his/her journalistic work.

iv) Reporters Without Borders USA must be able to verify the threats or problems reported in this application form and to confirm that they are directly linked to his/her work as a journalist.

v) Reporters Without Borders USA’s mandate excludes assisting journalists who are arrested, detained, imprisoned for reasons not related to their work as journalists. The journalist must have been in regular contact with his/her editor.

RSF USA will solicit applicants by publicizing the availability of this grant, including on its website. RSF USA will review the applications and retains sole discretion to make grants to individuals, including relatives or colleagues of American journalists missing, imprisoned or held hostage. RSF USA will take into account the emergency of each grant application and the expected impact of the support request.

RSF USA will primarily use donations to the Fund to help with the expenses incurred by the colleagues and loved ones who are working to secure the release of wrongly imprisoned American journalists. However, in certain limited circumstances, RSF USA may also use donations to support its ongoing charitable and educational operations, including public education and other activities in support of American journalists who are kidnapped, missing or held hostage.

Selection Process

The Fund Grants Committee (the “Committee”) is currently comprised of Reporters Without Borders Secretary General Christophe Deloire and RSF USA Director Margaux Ewen, but Committee members may be added or substituted in sole discretion of RSF USA.

The Committee will review the applications on a regular basis. Committee members will follow RSF USA’s Conflict of Interest Policy with respect to reviewing applicants, to ensure impartiality of awards made. Final decision to award the grant will be based on a vote by the Committee. The Committee will have sole discretion to determine the amount of each grant.

Grant applications

To submit a grant application, please contact Daphne Pellegrino at [email protected]

Donate to the Fund for Families

Donations to contribute to the Fund can be made by credit card through our Global Giving page for the Fund for Families. Contributions by check can be sent to:

Reporters Without Borders USA
P.O. Box 34032
Washington, DC 20043