Opening Doors initiative

Public Media Journalists Association Awarded Grant from Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to Support "Opening Doors" Program for BIPOC Journalism Students 

January 21, 2025 – Public Media Journalists Association (PMJA) today announced the receipt of a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to support "Opening Doors," a new program designed to increase diversity in public media newsrooms. The grant will fund a two-year initiative that will provide skills training, mentorship, and paid internships to ten talented BIPOC journalism students with a specific focus on science, health, and economics reporting. 

"We are incredibly grateful to the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for their generous support of the 'Opening Doors' program," said Christine Paige Diers, Executive Director of PMJA. "This grant will enable us to create meaningful pathways for aspiring journalists from underrepresented communities to enter the public media field and contribute to vital local coverage of critical issues in science, health, and economics." 

The "Opening Doors" program will include: 

• Intensive Leadership Training: A two-day leadership retreat for selected students held in conjunction with #PMJA2025 in Kansas City, featuring workshops on critical thinking, communication skills, and navigating the public media landscape, with additional training on the unique challenges and opportunities of science, health, and economics reporting. Students will attend the full conference, providing valuable networking opportunities with public media professionals. 

• Mentorship Program: Pairing students with experienced public media professionals experienced in science, health, and economics reporting for guidance and support throughout their career development. 

• Paid Internships: Securing paid internships at public radio stations across the country, providing students with hands-on experience in covering science, health, and economic issues at the local level. PMJA will provide subsidies to stations to support these paid internships.  

The 'Opening Doors' program will not only provide valuable skills and experience to a new generation of journalists," said Diers, "but it will also contribute to a more diverse and inclusive public media system that better reflects the communities it serves and ensures robust and equitable coverage of critical science, health, and economic issues in local communities." 

Program outreach will begin in February 2025 and will culminate in the placement of ten BIPOC journalism students in paid internships at public radio stations across the country during the 2025/2026 academic year. 

About Public Media Journalists Association (PMJA) 

Public Media Journalists Association supports, empowers and advocates for journalists working in public media. In that endeavor we seek to foster high ethical standards in the practice of journalism through: 

• Providing training and networking opportunities that allow our members to improve and excel in their work, giving stations a venue for sharing innovations and best practices 

• Working for greater diversity, equity and inclusion throughout public media 

• Championing members working to create environments free of discrimination and harassment 

• Creating and cultivating pathways to support diverse leadership 

• Advocating for a society where journalism can be practiced freely without threat 

About the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation 

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a not-for-profit, mission-driven grantmaking institution dedicated to improving the welfare of all through the advancement of scientific knowledge. Established in 1934 by Alfred Pritchard Sloan Jr., then-President and Chief Executive Officer of the General Motors Corporation, the Foundation makes grants in four broad areas: direct support of research in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and economics; initiatives to increase the quality, equity, and diversity of scientific institutions and the science workforce; projects to develop or leverage technology to empower research; and efforts to enhance and deepen public engagement with science and scientists.