Guiding Principles

The Western Iowa Journalism Foundation (WIJF) is committed to being transparent, responsive, and collaborative in its grantmaking approach. 

WIJF’s grantmaking guiding principles are: 

  1. Promoting journalistic excellence: WIJF prioritizes projects that demonstrate a commitment to journalistic integrity, accuracy, and ethics. WIJF encourages innovative approaches to storytelling, investigative reporting, and community engagement. 

  2. Elevating underrepresented voices: WIJF values diversity, equity, and inclusion in newsrooms and news coverage. We recognize that rural communities include a wide range of identities—across race, ethnicity, age, religion, gender, disability, and political perspective. Equally important is accurate representation of the rural experience itself: shaped by small-town values, local economies, tight-knit networks, and unique challenges in access to resources.  

  3. Trust-based grantmaking: WIJF’s grant application process is transparent and WIJF’s grant making team is responsive to feedback. 

  4. Ensuring sustainability: WIJF seeks to support projects that demonstrate a commitment to long-term sustainability beyond the grant period. WIJF encourages grantees to explore diversified funding sources and revenue models. 

  5. Collaboration and knowledge sharing: WIJF values collaboration and encourages grantees to share knowledge and best practices with the broader journalism community. WIJF seeks opportunities to foster a network of collaboration among grantees.