Gayle Reaves
This grant grew out of veteran journalist (and former SPJ Fort Worth president) Gayle Reaves-King’s desire to help news media professionals take advantage of continuing-education opportunities, since many news organizations no longer pay for such training. Fort Worth SPJ’s Board of Directors named the award for Reaves-King to honor her service to the chapter and the profession.
In more than a half-century as a journalist, Reaves-King has reported from around Texas and from Europe, South America, and Asia, on topics from terrorism to natural disasters to corporate corruption. She created the first women’s issues beat at The Dallas Morning News and is a past president of the national Journalism and Women Symposium. With two colleagues she won the 1990 George Polk Award for courageous regional reporting for a News series on South Texas drug wars. And in 1994 she was part of the News team that won the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting for a series that examined culturally sanctioned violence against women in many nations. After leaving the News in 2001, she led the award-winning alternative paper Fort Worth Weekly for 14 years. Since then she has written or edited for Texas Watchdog, the Texas Tribune, and the Texas Observer.
Eligibility and Requirements
Who is eligible?
Professionals in Texas and Oklahoma who have earned most of their income as journalists — reporter, editor or photographer; broadcast, print or online — for at least five years. The years do not have to be consecutive, nor do applicants have to be currently employed by a news organization.
How may the grant be used?
For up to $500 in expenses for skills-related training offered by any recognized journalism group or educational organization. The grant must be used within one year of the award date.
What should be submitted?
A résumé, two samples of published or broadcast work for a professional news organization, a recommendation letter from a supervisor (current or past), and the completed entry form. As explained on the entry form, the specific object of the training must be described — that is “improving my website skills” rather than just “attending an SPJ national conference.” If the applicant has a specific project, job, or assignment in mind, that information should also be provided.
What specific training are you seeking? Who’s offering it? What are the expected costs? How will this training help you with a specific job, program or beat?
Please download the Reaves-King Grant application, complete the form and email it along with the other required documents to: kejones.university@gmail.com.
What are the judging criteria?
Judges will evaluate ability and the journalistic value of the skill sought and/or the use to which the knowledge will be put.
What are the financial arrangements?
Fees or tuition may be paid directly to the organization offering the training, or the grant winner may pay such fees in advance and submit the receipts for reimbursement by SPJ Fort Worth. Additionally, expenses for travel or course materials are eligible for reimbursement. Expenses for alcoholic beverages or entertainment are not eligible for reimbursement. The total of fees and expenses paid or reimbursed by SPJ may not exceed $500.
When is the deadline?
We must receive your application by Nov. 15, 2024. Application and other documents should be submitted four to six weeks before the date of the training event.
Are there other requirements?
After the training, the recipient agrees to “pay it forward” by sharing the new skills with other journalists in north Texas via an SPJ Fort Worth program, newsletter article or other means acceptable to the SPJ Fort Worth board. Please submit an idea of how you might accomplish this.