Blue Earth sponsors photographic projects whose goal is to educate the public about endangered cultures, threatened environments, or current topics of social concern. We are primarily interested in work that is educational and informational in nature, and will consider proposals of any geographic scope, involving the photographic medium (we do not sponsor motion picture projects). Our contract sponsors the project for two years.

We accept project proposals twice a year. Deadlines are March 21st and September 21st (postmark date). We announce recipients approximately two months later.

Blue Earth offers fiscal accountability to the projects we accept for sponsorship. As a non-profit organization with 501(c)3 status, Blue Earth is eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions from private foundations, individuals, or other entities.

Along with this fiscal accountability, we also offer other services. When you join our community, we offer free access to our grant-writer, mentorship throughout the life of your sponsorship, use of our office wall space to showcase some work, use of our mailing lists, help with PR and marketing, and more.

Application Process

Your application must be on a single CD with the following information in .doc, .pdf,.xls, or .jpg format as appropriate:

• Brief letter.doc/pdf (3 pages or less) describing the proposed project and your previous work
• Your resume.doc/pdf
• Proposed budget.doc/pdf/xls
• Detailed schedule.doc/pdf/xls
• A list of who will be approached for funding.doc/pdf
• Three references with complete contact information in references.doc/pdf
• 20 images of recent work, preferably the same work as your proposed project
  • images must be between 800 and 3000 pixels per side
  • must be in jpeg format
  • must be numbered/named 01.jpg, 02.jpg, 03.jpg, etc.
  • should have your copyright attached to the file
• caption.doc/pdf sheet – Be sure that each individual caption corresponds with the correct image (e.g., caption #1 corresponds with image #1, etc.)
• Submission fee ($60 for non-members, $30 for members), check or money order payable to Blue Earth. You may also call us with your credit card information.
• Your physical address, phone number, and email must be included in your resume, letter, or separately. Submissions that do not include contact information will not be considered.

Please address all correspondence to:

Bart J. Cannon
Program Manager, Blue Earth
submissions@blueearth.org
206.725.4913
PO Box 94388
Seattle WA 98124-668

Considerations

Before sending in your proposal, please make sure you understand that Blue Earth 501(c)3 sponsorship is a tax status that can be used to approach U.S. companies, foundations, and private individuals for tax-deductible donations. Ordinarily, this tax status will not be useful in seeking funding from sources within countries other than the United States.

The photographer is primarily responsible for developing funding requests for the project in collaboration with the grant-writer we provide. There will be a substantial amount of work required on your part. All requests for funds are subject to Blue Earth approval and are made on behalf of Blue Earth, which will administer the funds and, after deducting a 10% administration fee, distribute those funds to the project as it progresses. This information will be covered in detail once the project is accepted.

Accepted project photographers are required to sign a sponsorship contract and report to Blue Earth on a regular basis. The project photographer is required to use the photographer's best efforts to obtain public exhibitions and/or lectures each year of the project in order to further the Blue Earth mission of educating the public about the project.

Blue Earth seeks a diverse project portfolio and subsequently, many worthy projects are not accepted for sponsorship. Blue Earth may or may not be able to provide an applicant feedback from the selection panel about their project proposal seeking sponsorship. The selection panel and project portfolio varies somewhat each review round and applicants are encouraged to apply when eligible. If your project falls within our mission statement, we can review your project again in a subsequent submission round.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

Submission Tips

Project Should…

• Meet the Blue Earth mission
• Explain the educational component of their project
• Show very high writing quality, along with high quality photography
• Propose an achievable project in scope, cost, and degree
• Be innovative; not derivative of existing or past Blue Earth projects
• Include a budget that reflects the realities of life, includes living/working expenses, and is thorough

Project Should Not…

• Seek funding from Blue Earth
• Be a means to acquire new photographic equipment
• Have connections with more appropriate 501(c)3 organizations
• Be pseudo-scientific in nature