Meeting the Need

Directed by an Associated Press–trained newsman and former magazine editor, Laird Townsend, Project Word seeks to advance writers and pieces that would otherwise have been too risky or burdensome to develop but are potentially valuable to public understanding in a rapidly changing world—a cornerstone in our goal of media diversity.

Project Word is predicated on the needs of editors. We vet writers—mostly writers of color—as well as queries or articles related to marginalized communities, especially indigenous ones. We make introductions, provide any necessary developmental editing, and in some cases support writers’ related expenses or arrange necessary photographs.

With occasional exceptions, Project Word works with long-form feature stories or narrative journalism. Articles address a range of related issues—racial and economic justice, human rights, community health, environmental justice, indigenous sovereignty, and biocultural preservation. We are currently developing stories on climate change impacts in indigenous communities.

Project Word is funded by individual donors and foundations, so it provides its service gratis. The nonprofit at-large approach allows us to identify writers of color and stories about overlooked communities that meet your particular needs. We are not an agent; you deal directly with the writer (or photographer) as normal. In providing any necessary developmental editing, we raise the obvious questions, anticipate the likeliest objections, and help the writer address them. But in this way we also test writers and pieces, recommending only those who would qualify and merit your attention and time. Read on to find out more about how it works for editors.