“Own Your Work” Micro-Grant Winner Announcement

Study Hall is very excited to announce that Saurav Sarkar is the recipient of our first “Own Your Work” micro-grant of $2,000! He will use the funds to build off his prior project, South Labor Watch, that connects marginalized media workers in the Global South with Western Outlets so they can “report on the most pressing issues” from their respective regions. 

“As an experienced freelancer in the US and a former daily news journalist in India, I have a unique perspective and connections to make this happen,” Sarkar wrote in his proposal. “I’m in touch with journalists in and from the region on a daily basis and at the same time aware of what will and won’t work for US editors and audiences.”

A panel of five community judges reviewed over 300 applications from highly talented community members. It was a tough decision narrowing it down to one winner. As such, Study Hall is now accepting applications for the next round of micro-grants! This time, we’re doubling the amount of money we’re giving away to $4,000. The first place winner will receive $2,000 and the second and third place winners will each receive $1,000, respectively. Apply via this link before August 31.

Sarkar is a New York City based, movement based journalist with a background in activism. After graduating from college, he freelanced and worked at a newsroom in New Delhi, India and helped launch Mint, a financial newspaper. Following some time in the United Kingdom studying for a postgraduate degree and working at a labor union, he moved to the United States and launched South Asia Labor Watch, a media project that brings “news about major issues from South Asia and its diaspora to readers in the Global North, all while paying a living wage to the people who write the stories.” 

“I did all the backend stuff myself as well as the editing, and also wrote a few stories,” he wrote in an email to Study Hall. “It was hard to do with a day job so I’m grateful to have this kind of support for the next iteration of this type of project.”

With his project, Sarkar will build a bridge between U.S. audiences “seeking knowledge and information about Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia” and Global South journalists who are “producing high quality work in English, but can’t make inroads to the few opportunities available in Western outlets to report on the most pressing issues from the region.”

He will solicit writing from freelancers from “poorer parts of the world” and help them produce top-notch reporting and photography that “speaks to the interests of the underserved.” 

You can follow Sarkar on Twitter. Subscribers can get updates on his media project on our Slack channel. If you’re interested in his project, email him at [email protected]. To contribute funds, send donations via Venmo to @Saurav-Sarkar-1 with the note “Study hall project.”  

Learn more about Study Hall’s next round of “Own Your Work” micro-grant program and apply via this link by August 31.