The Environmental Justice Journalism Initiative (EJJI) is a Baltimore-based nonprofit founded to help young people tell their own stories about environmental inequities in their neighborhoods. We are introducing students to environmental justice as a career option, be it as a journalist or a lawyer or a leader in an advocacy organization. We are creating a cohort so the students won’t be “the only one in the room,” and we are serving as mentors to help students focus on achieving their goals. Our motto is, “Our community, our story.” We are picking up where traditional journalism has left off, and what it has left out. We have three branches: one focused on journalism; one focused on youth engagement and advocacy; and one focused on marine science and aquaculture with a particular emphasis on strengthening connections to water and water-based industries.

Contact info@ejji.org and let us know how you’re interested in partnering so we can see if we’re a good match.

As you might imagine, we receive many requests. We cannot accommodate them all, but we try. We ask for organizations to provide an honorarium when possible to cover our expenses. If you want us to speak at your school or event, please fill out this form indicating your goals, timeframe, topic, and what you want to get out of the discussion. We will initiate a contract if it is possible. We can also travel or do online visits. 

EJJI is currently registered with the State of Maryland as a Non-Profit and is awaiting our official IRS status from the federal government.

You can donate to EJJI using the Donate button on our website’s home page or film page, or by using the Donate widget on the right of the screen. Please email us at info@ejji.org to donate by check or electronic transfer.

Donations to EJJI from the website go into a general fund that aids all of our programming across the three branches. Organizations that wish to fund specific projects should contact us at info@ejji.org.

Our four-person staff cannot investigate and report on every environmental injustice in the Baltimore area. What we can do is provide you with information to tell your own story about what’s happening, and a platform to tell that story. We can also provide you with connections to local and regional reporters who might have an interest, and to state and federal regulators who might be able to help you. 

We have a base at the Middle Branch Marina, and we will eventually need help keeping it clean, arranging birding tours, boating tours, teaching, etc. Please fill out this form with your interests and we will let you know when we’re ready. If you have leads on grants and want to help us with our proposal writing, let us know!

We’re so glad you asked. Only about 2 percent of philanthropy goes to Black-led organizations, with the vast majority going to well-connected white-led groups who attempt to work in the DEI space, with mixed results. We are community-based, and our board and staff represent women, Latinas, Latinos, and Black and Indigenous leaders. We think our mission fits with yours, but if it doesn’t, we would love to direct you to other Black-led organizations who do good work with scarce resources. We’re in this together with them.

Please visit this link for all information about the film, including screen times.

Making a film is very labor intensive and expensive. We can help you tell your story, but a feature film may not be your best option. We’re happy to talk through how to do it in the best way.