NZ Mental Health Media Grants launched today

Media release from the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand

06 March 2007

Inaugural NZ Mental Health Media Grants launched today

The Mental Health Foundation and Like Minds Like Mine launched a new media grants programme today to replace the Carter Center Fellowships offered to journalists in New Zealand from 2001 to 2005/6.

The New Zealand Mental Health Media Grants offer a total grant pool of $50,000 with grants of up to $12,000 in each category;

* Category one: media professionals (print, radio and TV journalists, photo-journalists, freelance writers, documentary film makers).

* Category two: creative media projects (artists, writers, musicians, community groups and those with an interest in mental health).

Judi Clements, CEO of the Mental Health Foundation says, "We're very much looking forward to offering the NZ Mental Health Media Grants to the media community and also extending the Grants to individuals and groups for development of projects that promote positive messages about mental health."

She says the Mental Health Foundation is looking forward to establishing and administrating a New Zealand-based Grants programme.

"Receiving a Grant gives recipients a chance to discuss, debate and work through their ideas about mental health issues and an opportunity to shift people's thinking about mental illness.

"These Grants, like the Carter Center Fellowships before them, produce projects that can connect the voices of people with experience of mental illness with the wider world.

"Once the connections are made, there is every hope that the levels of stigma and discrimination will continue to diminish as people's voices are heard."

Applications for the Grants are open now and close 31 May 2007.

For more information email: info@mediagrants.org.nz or visit the website: www.mediagrants.org.nz

ENDS

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