FFF AND PORTENIER BURSARY RULES
The following rules apply to applications for both Forum Freelance Fund Bursaries for independent journalists primarily engaged in news coverage, and to applicants for a Portenier Human Rights Bursary, who seek safety training in connection with a viable, long-form and independent project, in any medium, exposing human rights abuses.
Applicants should be aware that each application form - accessible through links at the bottom of this page - contains further information relevant to the particular stream. Any conditions in the forms, implied or implicit, are also part of the agreement between the Forum and the applicant, as specified in article 13 below.
1. Applications for Forum Freelance Fund bursaries may be made at any time through our FFF application form by Canadian citizens or residents working as freelance journalists, or by freelancers of other nationalities working abroad for Canadian media. Applications may be made in English or in French. For the purpose of these rules, a freelance journalist is one whose reporting is normally so identified when published or broadcast, or whose services are demonstrably provided on a freelance or self-employed basis as a videographer, photographer, audio specialist, producer, fixer or the like.
2. Applications for safety training assistance under the Portenier Human Rights Bursary program are to be made using the Portenier application form. This stream is open to independent filmmakers, authors or journalists of any nationality working on viable, long-form investigative projects focused on human rights abuses, in which there is a demonstrable need for safety training. Applications may be made in English or in French. The onus is upon applicants to establish their independent status.
3. Applications in either stream will involve the following steps:
a) The applicant describes, explains and justifies the type of training they are seeking and the time-frame, and provides sufficient evidence to support their independent status.
b) The Forum triages applications and sends appropriate ones to a standing jury of qualified adjudicators, the majority of whom will be independent;
c) On the adjudicators' advice, the Forum either makes an offer to the applicant -funds permitting - or declines the application.
4. While the FFF program in either stream remains anchored in hostile environment and first aid training (HEFAT), applicants may request assistance with any other forms of safety training related to their work as journalists, documentarists, etc., such as cyber security courses or ones designed for specific groups or conditions.
5. Successful applicants for HEFAT-style courses will normally choose from courses offered by one of the Forum's approved course providers. On occasion, however, they may be offered support for a custom solution involving, for example, a free or subsidized place on a course offered by an ACOS member organization, for which Forum support could be used for reasonable travel and accommodation expenses. The Forum shall have the absolute right to determine when to offer such an arrangement in a particular case.
6. Where an applicant is required to choose from courses offered by approved course providers, any excess above the bursary limit will be borne by the applicant.
7. The Forum will use best efforts to respond to applications in a timely manner, but shall not be liable for consequences of any delay, financial limit, or refusal of an application.
8. Applicants should ensure they have included all relevant information in their submission. The Forum and its adjudicators are hereby granted the right to make any enquiries needed to test the legitimacy of any application, but shall not be required to exercise such rights.
9. Determining whether to grant a bursary, the total value of any bursary, the type of training it is to be used for, and any date limits by which a course must be chosen and completed will be determined on a case-by-case basis by the Forum, in consultation with the independent adjudicators.
10. Where training is approved, the Forum will pay the course fee, or part thereof up to the total amount of the bursary, directly to the course provider. Any bursary balance will be retained by the Forum to be applied towards reimbursement of reasonable travel and accommodation costs associated with the training. This will occur after the course has been completed; the course provider has confirmed that any balance of the fee or charges for additional goods or services are not outstanding; and the bursary recipient has provided satisfactory receipts for the travel and accommodation expenses described above. Payment up to the remaining balance of the bursary, if any, will be made by electronic transfer, where available.
11. All bursary applicants, successful or not, agree to indemnify the Forum, its ACOS partners, the adjudicators and the trainers against any claims arising from training or lack thereof, or in connection with travel and accommodation.
12. In reciprocation for the co-operation of ACOS partners to meet bursary requests by Canadian or Canadian-media-related freelancers, the Forum may also, at its discretion, grant bursaries to independent journalists of other nationalities without substantial Canadian media connections.
13. Any submission through the online application process in either stream shall constitute full and explicit acceptance by the applicant of these rules and their preamble, fully equivalent to signing an agreement to the same effect.
14. No applicant may submit a request through more than one stream at the same time or for the same project, or receive more than one bursary from the Forum in any 24-month period.
15. In the case of any dispute arising between the Forum and an applicant or bursary-holder which cannot be settled informally, the parties agree to attorn exclusively to the courts of the Province of Ontario, Canada.