Our Focus Grant Grantees
The Rogovy Foundation has previously supported various organizations and causes, as shown in the list below. While we value these past partnerships, we have now concentrated our efforts exclusively on investigative reporting and defending the Fourth Estate. This focused approach allows us to maximize our impact in supporting the independent journalism essential to a healthy democracy.
Here are the projects that have been selected, past and present.
September 2025 – Supporting Investigative Jouralism
Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc. is a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of investigative reporting. IRE was formed to create a forum in which journalists throughout the world could help each other by sharing story ideas, newsgathering techniques and news sources.
IRE provides members access to thousands of reporting tipsheets and other materials through its Resource Center and hosts conferences and specialized training across the country. Programs of IRE include the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting (NICAR), a collaboration between IRE and the Missouri School of Journalism.
Grant Amount: $3,000
July 2025 – Defending the Fourth Estate
This year, we have once again chosen these important non-profit organizations that strive to contribute to civics and freedom of press as recipients of our Focus Fund. Below are the two organizations receiving grants.
Grant Amount: $45,000
July 2024 – Defending the Fourth Estate
This year, we have once again chosen these important non-profit organizations that strive to contribute to civics and freedom of press as recipients of our Focus Fund. Below are the two organizations receiving grants.
Grant Amount: $45,000
2023 – Retro Report: How to Save Democracy
Retro Report is an Emmy Award-winning documentary news organization whose mission is to help solve the information crisis that is threatening our democracy. It is non-partisan, independent, and nonprofit. Retro Report produces trustworthy journalism, steeped in historical context, to bring clarity to complicated issues and combines it with history, civics, and media literacy education. Our work is meant to inspire critical thinking and discussion on a variety of subjects, including history and civics. At a time when misinformation is running rampant and there’s disagreement over objective facts, our method of combining reliable and compelling journalism with history, civics, and media literacy education has proven to be effective.
We are please to offer Retro Report’s documentary series, How to Save Democracy a grant from our Frontier Fund. An educational lesson plans and interactive materials for grades 6-12 will also accompany the series. The project has for mission of creating informed and inspired citizens of the future by elevating civics literacy, promoting critical thinking in our youth, and celebrating diversity in all of its forms. The four-part broadcast and streaming series will provide a dramatic, informative, entertaining, and non-partisan look at the most critical issues defining America today; all through the eyes of Gen Z students vying to win the nation’s premiere high school social studies competition called We the People.
We are please to offer Retro Report’s documentary series, How to Save Democracy a grant from our Frontier Fund. An educational lesson plans and interactive materials for grades 6-12 will also accompany the series. The project has for mission of creating informed and inspired citizens of the future by elevating civics literacy, promoting critical thinking in our youth, and celebrating diversity in all of its forms. The four-part broadcast and streaming series will provide a dramatic, informative, entertaining, and non-partisan look at the most critical issues defining America today; all through the eyes of Gen Z students vying to win the nation’s premiere high school social studies competition called We the People.
Grant Amount: $75,000
July 2023 – Defending the Fourth Estate
As part of our yearly funding for the Fourth Estate, these crucial non-profit organizations are recipients of our Focus Fund. Below are the two organizations receiving grants.
Grant Amount: $45,000
August 2022 – The Grab
We are delighted to increase our support of The Grab – the feature documentary by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting and director Gabriela Cowperthwaite. The world is struggling to quench the thirst and hunger of a growing population, and it’s only getting worse…
Awarded: $25,000
July 2022 – Defending the Fourth Estate
This year, we have once again chosen these important non-profit organizations that strive to contribute to civics and freedom of press as recipients of our Focus Fund. Below are the two organizations receiving grants.
Grant Amount: $45,000
March 2022 – Humanitarian Aid: Emergency Response for Ukraine
In light of the extreme situation in Ukraine, we are offering support to three charity operations providing Emergency Response action on the ground. With the brutal Russian invasion, Ukraine is facing a horrendous, catastrophic emergency. Men, women and children are suffering and fleeing their homes as their families are torn apart. These chosen non-profits are responding by providing critical humanitarian war relief and recovery.
Grant Amount: $10,000
July 2021 – Defending the Fourth Estate
Now, more than ever, we are committed to strengthening public knowledge and transparency. We have thus chosen to grant $65,000 to these important non-profit organizations that strive to contribute to civics and freedom of press. We recognize the immense value of investigative journalism and its essential role in maintaining our democracy. Below are the organizations receiving grants.
Grant Amount: $65,000
April 2021 – The Grab
The world is struggling to quench the thirst and hunger of a growing population, and it’s only getting worse. This feature documentary by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting and director Gabriela Cowperthwaite explores these pressing issues around the world.
Awarded: $100,000
February 2021 & August 2022 – Untitled Investigative Series Project
We are delighted to support another topical investigative project by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting. The series is being developed by Amanda Pike and Ted Bourne as one of the executive producers. Currently in development.
Awarded: $65,000
January 2021 – The Story of Recycling
Due to the sensitivity of this topic we are withholding further details on this project until a later date. Currently in production. Directed by: Carsten Stormer and Tom Costello.
Awarded: $25,000
2021 – Recycling Plastics
Lonely Whale works with partners to develop data-driven campaigns that address systems issues and reconnect us to each other, encouraging behavior change away from single-use plastic and toward a healthy, thriving ocean. Current initiatives include the Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize, Ocean Heroes youth education program, and the UN award-winning Nextwave corporate consortium.
In the summer of 2021 Lonely Whale will launch a new campaign focused on debunking the myths surrounding recycling and providing simple, tangible ways we can change our behavior to more positively impact our oceans. Lonely Whale is proud and grateful to partner with The Rogovy Foundation in this most recent effort.
Grant Amount: $120,000
2020 – Coronavirus COVID-19 Assistance
The coronavirus crisis, a black swan event, has quickly impacted a broad slice of American culture and activity. Through a number of charity organizations, we have chosen to support first responders which include healthcare workers, delivery drivers, and other essential services affected by this emergency. We are also supporting restaurants, food banks and disrupted educational programs.
Grant Amount: $25,000
June 2020 – Defending the Fourth Estate
To bolster the commitment to one of our key programs of interest, Civics, we have granted $50,000 to several non-profit organizations that strive to strengthen public knowledge and transparency. We recognize the immense value of investigative journalism and its essential role in maintaining our democracy. Below are the organizations receiving grants.
Grant Amount: $50,000
December 2019 – The Grab
The world is struggling to quench the thirst and hunger of a growing population, and it’s only getting worse. This feature documentary by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting and director Gabriela Cowperthwaite explores these pressing issues around the world.
Awarded: $25,000
December 2019 – Victim/Suspect
Investigative journalist Rae de Leon travels nationwide to uncover a shocking pattern: Young women tell the police they’ve been sexually assaulted, but instead of finding justice, they’re charged with the crime of making a false report, arrested, and even imprisoned by the system they believed would protect them. Director: Nancy Schwartzman. Producers: Motto Pictures and Center for Investigative Reporting Studios. A Netflix original production.
Awarded: $20,000
June 2019 – Investigative Journalism
We are thrilled to have partnered once again with ProPublica in support of their investigative journalism efforts as they strive to strengthen transparency in our democracy.
Awarded: $10,000
February 2019 – Games Without Frontiers
Cyberspace is a battlefield. Anonymous accounts and fake news on social media are the modern weapons of choice. Games Without Frontiers reveals how Facebook in particular has stoked anger and destabilized societies wherever it’s gone. Currently in production. Director: Sankha Guha.
Awarded: $10,000
2019 – Clean Energy for Improved Health in Nepal
The Rogovy Foundation is pleased to partner with Renewable World on their Clean Energy for Improved Health in Nepal project (CEIH). This pilot project aims to improve the health of 4,728 people in four ultra-poor, off-grid communities in Surkhet District, Nepal, using clean energy solutions. Their approach is designed to help reduce the deaths of the many thousands of people, particularly women and children, who die each year from the effects of inefficient, polluting cookstoves. CEIH will tackle this problem by increasing access to energy-enabled healthcare so that care is available at the point of need for isolated, rural communities and rolling out access to clean, improved cookstoves to reduce pollution.
With the help of The Rogovy Foundation, CEIH will be implemented in four sites over the course of 2020. This Frontier Fund grant will kickstart the project and achieve the following impact in one village:
➢ Improved health provision for approximately 1,182 people through access to solar energy-enabled health posts, with improvements in respiratory disease care, vaccination provision and maternity care.
➢ Reduced respiratory disease, pollution and CO2 emissions through access to, and rollout of, more efficient cookstoves initially for approximately 240 individuals (48 families).
Renewable World is a registered charity which tackles poverty using renewable energy. They strive to empower energy-poor communities to develop sustainable livelihoods through the provision of renewable energy systems.
Grant Amount: $16,600
December 2018 – When Fracking Companies Own the Gas Beneath Your Land
Natural gas companies have cut down forests and paved over farms on West Virginia private lands, calling it “reasonably necessary” in order to access subsurface gas they own the rights to. We are thrilled to have partnered with ProPublica in partnership with the Charleston Gazette-Mail as they chronicle the legal battles. The documentary is now airing on Propublica’s website.
Awarded: $15,000
August 2018 – The Coming Digital Age Crisis
The Coming Digital Age Crisis is an investigative film unearthing unethical and abusive practices online. Due to the sensitivity of this topic we are withholding further details on this project until a later date. Produced by The Center for Investigative Journalism (Reveal News).
Awarded: $10,000
July 2018 – Ark Food
Ark Food is an exploration of the social, cultural and historical importance of indigenous plant foods as a sustainable food solution in the human food chain for future generations. Currently in production. Director: Charles J. Fourie.
Awarded: $10,000
2018 – The (Un)Scientific Method
In 2017, CIR launched The (Un)Scientific Method, an investigative reporting beat focused on publishing investigative reports exposing conflicts between science and government during a time of significant political upheaval in Washington, D.C. The focus of this work is on uncovering new stories that are relevant to the science and technology ecosystem and the powerful way in which Washington influences scientific progress. In particular, they have sought to examine the politicization of scientific decision making at the federal level, the impact of anti-science appointees to the cabinet and federal agencies, and conflicts of interest that inhibit scientific innovation, research and regulation that would be in the public’s best interest.
Grant Amount: $5,000
2018 – Ending Solar Poverty
In August 2018, The Rogovy Foundation provided a developmental grant to Beyond the Light‘s solar project in Nicaragua, installing energy kits for homes without electricity, providing lights and USB charging for cell phones, fans and radio. In addition, they are adding solar kits to the local water system, which will add sustainable access to clean drinking water for the village of El Tomate. Plans are also in place to assemble and install sustainable solar energy in El Carmen and La Mora in Nicaragua at the end of the year.
Beyond the Light’s mission is to end energy poverty by providing the resources necessary to bring electricity to homes and training locals to build and repair solar systems for their communities. The dedicated staff at Beyond the Light leave behind a process to provide sustainable energy solutions and job creation.
Grant Amount: $5,000
2017 – Defending the Fourth Estate
To bolster the commitment to one of our key programs of interest, Civics, our Focus Fund has chosen to distribute $50,000 among several non-profit organizations which strengthen public knowledge and transparency. The Rogovy Foundation places great value on the “Fourth Estate,” and supports journalism’s essential role in a functioning democracy. Below are the organizations receiving grants.
Grant Amount: $50,000
2016 – Investing in Solar Lights
In 2016 a grant was awarded to SolarAid, whose mission is to provide solar powered lamps to areas without electricity. Read more about how this inexpensive device is providing clean and efficient lighting to rural Africa.
In March 2016, The Rogovy Foundation partnered with the international development charity SolarAid to reach over 38,000 people with life-changing solar lights in the Western and Rift Valley provinces of Kenya.
SolarAid enables access to clean and affordable energy through its social enterprise, SunnyMoney, which seeks to create trust and demand for solar lights in rural Africa through its ‘trade-not-aid’ model.
93% of the rural population in Kenya does not have access to electricity. Most families resort to using the toxic kerosene lamp to light their homes at night. Kerosene only serves to imperil health, impair education, waste household income and emit astonishingly high amounts of carbon.
A small affordable solar light changes everything. Each solar light means a child studies one hour extra each evening. Parents can use the significant savings each year on better food, education or farming inputs. Health improves and life gets better.
Grant Amount: $21,232
The Rogovy Foundation has provided a grant to SolarAid to distribute 7,800 solar lights to empower thousands of families to escape the grinding cycle of poverty.
SolarAid schools campaign in Kenya – Photo by Patrick Bentley
“[Since the solar light] my lifestyle has changed, my kids eat well, study well and we are a happy family now.” -Dickson Murumbi in Kenya
