USC Annenberg announced this week that applications are now being accepted for Knight Grants for Reporting on Religion and American Public Life.

The competition, sponsored by the Knight Program in Media and Religion, provides funding for projects that explore how religion -- morals, values, spirituality and the search for meaning -- shapes responses to social issues, including housing, health care, poverty, sexuality, immigration, economic equity, and civil rights in the US.

Applications are due by July 1, 2011. For more information about Knight Grants and to apply, visit: http://annenberg.usc.edu/knight-grants.

Those eligible for the grants include: staff reporters, affiliated freelancers and self-employed web journalists who work in the US and cover politics, social and cultural issues. Generalists and religion specialists also are encouraged to apply. Successful applicants will be awarded grants up to $20,000 to subsidize travel, living, and miscellaneous costs. Grants will be awarded through an application process overseen by the Knight Program in Media and Religion and are made possible through the generous support of the Ford Foundation.

"Religion plays a key role in mobilizing support for social issues. That can range from denominational involvement in defining marriage to local churches’ outreach to needy families to spiritual-but-not-religious college students getting out the vote,” said Diane Winston, Knight Chair in Media and Religion at USC Annenberg.  “News outlets are cutting back on religion coverage, and that’s a mistake."

Grant recipients will develop stories for delivery on multiple platforms. Awards will be announced in September 2011, and projects must be complete by June 2012. Additionally, two recipients will be chosen to be journalists-in-residence at USC Annenberg after the completion of their projects. They will present their work, hold master classes, and give public lectures for the USC community.

The Knight Chair in Media and Religion, established in 2002 by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, participates in a wide range of activities, including developing e-courses as well as on-site conferences for journalists, providing resources and syllabi for journalism educators, sponsoring events for the local community, and hosting a website that provides commentary on the news. To follow the program’s work, read Diane Winston’s articles, and learn more about activities, visit http://www.trans-missions.org/.