Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ)

The Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) is an association of journalists who cover environmental issues for mainstream and left-of-center activist media outlets. It has been criticized for aligning with environmentalist viewpoints and policy goals. 1

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At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3)
Issue Areas: Environmental Policy
Website: www.sej.org
Formation:

1990

President:

Aparna Mukherjee

Location: Washington, DC View on map
Tax ID: 52-0194031
Most Recent Filing: 2024
Budget (2024): Assets: $3,027,454 Revenue: $2,789,577 Expenses: $2,138,330

Contents

    SEJ operates the Fund for Environmental Journalism (FEJ), which helps fund journalists and news organizations to cover environmentalist issues. In 2022, SEJ spent $1,026,779 on FEJ. 2

    In 2024, SEJ received program and operating grants from several left-of-center organizations including the Catena Foundation, Craigslist Charitable Fund, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, William Penn Foundation, and the Windward Fund. 3

    History and Leadership

    Society of Environmental Journalists  was founded in 1990 by a group of journalists from outlets including USA Today, National Geographic, left-progressive donor Ted Turner’s Turner Broadcasting, Minnesota Public Radio, and the Philadelphia Inquirer. 4 David Stolberg is the founder of SEJ. 5  Aparna Mukherjee is the executive director of SEJ. 6 Previously, Mukherjee worked for Resolve Philly, 7 LA2050, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CNBC, Stanford University, Columbia University, The New Yorker, and others. 8

    Luke Runyon is the president of SEJ 9 and Karla Mendes is the second vice president and diversity, equity, and inclusion chair of SEJ. Prior to joining SEJ, Mendes worked at the Thomson Reuters Foundation. 10

    Activities and Funding

    Society of Environmental Journalists is a membership-based organization that is open to journalists, students, and faculty at accredited schools and universities who focus their work on environmental issues. Individuals who work in public relations on environmentalist issues and those who lobby on environmentalist issues are not eligible for SEJ membership. 11

    Prospective members must apply for membership to the SEJ board of directors, which has the sole discretion to grant or deny membership. 12 As of 2024, SEJ claims more than 1,500 journalists and academics working in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and 43 other countries. 4

    Current SEJ members include reporters who have worked for or published with MSNBC, ProPublica, Scientific American, Salon, Chicago Tribune, Time Magazine, CNN, and others. 13

    SEJ has an endowment that operates as a single donor-restricted fund to support general operations 14 and gives awards to reporters it recognizes as the best environmentalist reporters in the United States. 15

    Previously, SEJ has been accused of protecting former Vice President Al Gore’s left-of-center environmental policy goals. 1

    Fellowships

    Society for Environmental Journalists runs a fellowship program to support left-of-center climate, environmentalist, and other journalists. 16

    In 2024, SEJ fellowships were sponsored by the SEJ fellowships were sponsored by the left-of-center Environmental Defense Fund, MacArthur Foundation, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Walton Family Foundation, and William Penn Foundation. 17

    Programming and Conferences

    Society of Environmental Journalists hosts an annual conference to convene its members and discuss environmentalist reporting, left-of-center climate-related issues, and other topics since 1991. 7 These conferences are often funded by host institutions and outside organizations. 3

    In 2024, SEJ’s annual conference was hosted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center, which runs FactCheck.org. 7

    Conference attendees focused on the left-of-center concept of climate disinformation and science disinformation, transition to weather-dependent forms of energy, and broader environmentalist issues. 18 Biden administration Environmental Protection Agency Administrator and left-of-center environmental activist Michael S. Regan delivered the keynote address at the conference. 19

    The left-of-center John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation funds conference and diversity fellowships for the SEJ annual conference. 20

    Fund for Environmental Journalism

    In October 2009, the board of directors of Society of Environmental Journalists created the Fund for Environmental Journalism (FEJ) to support journalists and news organizations covering environmentalist issues. The FEJ was launched in 2010 with $10,000. 21 In 2022, SEJ spent $1,026,779 on FEJ. 2

    SEJ’s FEJ grants are only available for SEJ members and are focused on various left-of-center environmentalist issues. Awardees retain full editorial control of their final project when they accept FEJ funding. 22

    Since 2010, FEJ has distributed more than $104,000 in grants, 21 including $47,605 for 11 different projects in 2024. 23

    FEJ has received foundation grants from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, Bullitt Foundation, Burning River Foundation, Compton Foundation, Cornelius King Foundation, Cornell Douglas Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Energy Foundation, Environmental Defense Fund, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, the Heinz Endowments, Hewlett Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Pew Charitable Trusts, Religion and environment Story Project, Spring Point Partners, Walton Family Foundation, Wilderness Society, and the Wyss Foundation. 22

    Grantmaking

    Society of Environmental Journalists made $926,200 in grants in 2022. These grants included $708,000 to Capital City Press, $100,000 to Guardian.org Foundation, $50,000 to the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources, $50,000 to Native American-related website High Country News, and $18,2000 to Murray Global Enterprises. 24

    In 2021, the organization made $696,252 of grants. These included $345,185 to Floodlight Inc, $125,135 to High Country News, and $100,000 to Guardian.org Foundation. 25

    Funding

    Society of Environmental Journalists receives most of its revenue from membership dues, 11 individual contributions 26 and grants, program service revenue. 27

    In 2024, SEJ received program and operating grants from the Association of Health Care Journalists, Association of Health Care Journalists, Catena Foundation, Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, Craigslist Charitable Fund, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Klungness Family Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Mizrahi Family Charitable Fund, Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, Orange County Community Foundation, Religion and Environment Story Project, Roundhouse Foundation, University of Missouri, Walton Family Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, William Penn Foundation, and the Windward Fund. 3

    In 2023, SEJ’s supporters and friends included the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Conservation Voters for Idaho, Funder Collaborative on Oil and Gas, Gas Leaks Action, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, HHMI, Maine Community Foundation, National Alliance of Forest Owners, Ocean Conservancy, Schneider Electric, Deloitte, Earthjustice, Good Food Institute, Knight Foundation, Mizrahi Family Charitable Fund, Princeton University, Solutions Journalism Network, and Woodwell Climate Research Center. 3

    SEJ received program and operating support from Association of Health Care Journalists, BAND Foundation, Catena Foundation, Craigslist Charitable Fund, FJC: A Foundation of Philanthropic Funds, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Klungness Family Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Maine Community Foundation, Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, Orange County Community Foundation, Religion & Environment Story Project, Roundhouse Foundation, Scripps Howard Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, the Wilderness Society, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in 2023. 3

    In 2022, SEJ reported revenue of $2,538,721 and expenses of $2,138,347. In 2021, the organization reported revenue of $1,270,811 and expenses of $1,519,465. 27 SEJ received $30,000 from the left-of-center Resources Legacy Fund 28 and $25,000 from Orange County Community Foundation in 2019. 29

    SEJ has also received grants from Pew Charitable Trusts, 30 environmentalist EarthJustice, 31 Wilderness Society, 32 Orange County Community Foundation, 33 and the left-of-center New Venture Fund, which is managed by Arabella Advisors. 34

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2024 $3,027,454 $2,789,577 $2,138,330 View
    2023 $2,547,932 $1,769,257 $2,136,914 View
    2022 $2,674,492 $2,538,721 $2,138,347 View
    2021 $2,984,327 $1,270,811 $1,519,465 View
    2020 $2,406,210 $1,392,162 $1,577,972 View

    Prior year filings: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011

    Revenue Detail

    Expenses Detail

    Employee Compensation

    • Number of Employees: 4

    Highest Earning Employees

    EmployeeTitleTotal Compensation
    Aparna MukherjeeEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (BEG FEBRUARY)$140,823

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $13,528,185
    • Number of Grants: 198
    • Number of Funders: 69

    Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $800,0002024 The William & Flora Hewlett Foundationfor general operating support
    $625,0002021 Walton Family FoundationTo support the Coastal Desk at the Times Picayune Advocate and provide sponsorship for three years of the grantee's annual conference.
    $500,0002024 John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur FoundationIn support of general operations.
    $500,0002020 The William & Flora Hewlett FoundationFOR GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
    $400,0002023 The William & Flora Hewlett FoundationFOR GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
    $400,0002022 The William & Flora Hewlett FoundationFOR GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
    $375,2502023 Walton Family FoundationTo support the Coastal Desk at the Times Picayune Advocate and support three years of the grantee's annual conference.
    $375,2502022 Walton Family FoundationTo support the Coastal Desk at the Times Picayune Advocate and provide sponsorship for three years of the grantee's annual conference.
    $300,0002022 The William & Flora Hewlett FoundationFOR GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
    $241,7172021 Gordon and Betty Moore FoundationIn support of ocean conservation storytelling.
    $224,6802024 Gordon and Betty Moore FoundationIN SUPPORT OF OCEAN CONSERVATION STORYTELLING.
    $224,6802023 Gordon and Betty Moore FoundationIn support of ocean conservation storytelling.
    $183,0002021 ROCKEFELLER FAMILY FUND INCPROJECT SUPPORT – ENVIRONMENT
    $130,0002020 The William & Flora Hewlett FoundationFOR ENHANCING NEWS COVERAGE OF PUBLIC LANDS
    $100,0002021 Incite Labs IncSUPPORT
    $100,0002021 Band FoundationGrowing the Community of Journalists Covering the Biodiversity Crisis
    $100,0002020 Walton Family FoundationEnvironmental Journalism in the time of COVID-19
    $90,0002023 The William & Flora Hewlett FoundationFOR STRENGTHENING NEWS COVERAGE OF THE KLAMATH RIVER BASIN
    $75,0002023 Catena FoundationKLAMATH – INSTITUTE FOR JOURNALISM AND NATUREAL RESOURCES
    $64,8002024 Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable TrustPublicize, implement and manage the 2024, 2025 and 2026 Nina Mason Pulliam Award for Outstanding Environmental Reporting.
    $64,8002020 Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable TrustPublicize, implement and manage the 2021, 2022 and 2023 Nina Mason Pulliam Award for Outstanding Environmental Reporting.
    $60,0002024 The William & Flora Hewlett Foundationfor critical minerals institute
    $50,0002023 William Penn Foundation2024 CONFERENCE FELLOWSHIPS FOR DELAWARE RIVER BASIN JOURNALISTS
    $41,3002021 Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor grant recipient's exempt purposes
    $40,0002021 The Wilderness SocietyCONSERVATION PROJECTS

    All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $1,995,488
    • Number of Grants: 18
    • Number of Recipients: 7

    Selection of highest value grants given from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $345,1852021 Floodlight IncCOVERAGE PROJECT
    $180,0002024 INSTITUTE FOR JOURNALISM & NATURAL RESOURCESCOVERAGE PROJECT
    $154,7362020 HIGH COUNTRY NEWSCOVERAGE PROJECT
    $125,1352021 HIGH COUNTRY NEWSCOVERAGE PROJECT
    $120,0002020 Guardian Org FoundationCOVERAGE PROJECT
    $100,0002024 HIGH COUNTRY NEWSCOVERAGE PROJECT
    $100,0002023 HIGH COUNTRY NEWSCOVERAGE PROJECT
    $100,0002022 Guardian Org FoundationCOVERAGE PROJECT
    $100,0002021 Guardian Org FoundationCOVERAGE PROJECT
    $82,0002023 INSTITUTE FOR JOURNALISM & NATURAL RESOURCESCOVERAGE PROJECT
    $50,0002022 HIGH COUNTRY NEWSCOVERAGE PROJECT
    $50,0002022 INSTITUTE FOR JOURNALISM & NATURAL RESOURCESCOVERAGE PROJECT
    $20,0002021 INSTITUTE FOR JOURNALISM & NATURAL RESOURCESCOVERAGE PROJECT
    $10,0002020 DETROIT PUBLIC MEDIA dba Detroit PBSCOVERAGE PROJECT
    $8,4322020 Columbia InsightCOVERAGE PROJECT

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    Financials, employee compensation, and grant information provided by Candid.

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

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