The VII Foundation

The VII Foundation

The VII Foundation

The VII Foundation’s mission is to transform visual journalism by empowering new voices and creating stories that advocate change. In a world where beliefs and actions are increasingly out-of-sync with facts and realities, transforming visual journalism is an urgent task.

OUR STORY

VII is synonymous with courageous and impactful journalism. In 2001, the dawn of the digital era enabled the creation of VII Photo Agency. It drove VII to prominence during the aftermath of 9/11, the war in Afghanistan, the invasion of Iraq, and the chaos that followed as the narrative of a new century was being written.

The digital revolution that enabled the photographers to build VII also precipitated an undeniable loss in revenue for their media clients. Anticipating this shift, The VII Foundation was created by Gary Knight and Ron Haviv to innovate and lead in the nonprofit space.

The work of The VII Foundation would not have been possible without the commitment of Jennifer Stengaard Gross and her family. We are grateful for the continuing support of Jennifer, Peter Stengaard, and the William, Jeff, and Jennifer Gross Foundation.

From Profit to Non-Profit

The VII Foundation’s mission is to transform visual journalism by empowering new voices and creating stories that advocate change. In a world where beliefs and actions are increasingly out-of-sync with facts and realities, transforming visual journalism is an urgent task.

The VII Foundation was developed with a mission to radically transform visual journalism as funding through traditional sources for continuing documentary practice and long-term journalism projects diminished. It was driven by the conviction that a non-profit structure would be an appropriate vehicle to initiate stories that advocate for change, impact policy, and train a new generation of visual journalists immersed in their own communities.

With an emphasis on changing policy and educating youth, our high-profile projects narrate lived experiences, document complex problems, and seek sustainable solutions. The VII Foundation has recently produced prominent films, books, and exhibitions in multiple languages, which have been exhibited worldwide, reviewed in leading media, and taught in schools and colleges. Our current exhibition, taken from our book Imagine: Reflections on Peace, is touring Europe and the United States and has recently been exhibited at the United States Institute for Peace, the National Museum of Bosnia & Herzegovina, and the Museum of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

©Alexandra Boulat/ VII
©Gary Knight/ VII
©Ron Haviv/ VII

Promote, teach, and mentor

As a new generation of journalists and visual practitioners build a contemporary global media environment, VII Academy, the educational wing of The VII Foundation, draws upon expert knowledge and experiences to provide tuition-free education to emerging journalists.

VII Academy’s mission is to provide tuition-free courses in visual education to practitioners in the Majority World and underrepresented communities in G20 countries. Ultimately, it aims to democratize the information narrative and, in regions where media education is poorly resources, give communities the tools to narrate their own stories. 

Today, VII Academy teaches and mentors at two campuses – in Arles, France, and Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina – and provides training in over 80 countries in nine languages.

Through real-world training and practice, we teach and mentor visual journalists in media practice, photojournalism, ethics, and media entrepreneurship. Our mentor program – the first of its kind – has amplified the voices of a new generation of visual storytellers and offers a structured professional environment for a more advanced media education.

Complementing our core educational programs is VII Insider, our free online platform for public debate and discussion to advance the production and analysis of photography, documentary series, and visual journalism. VII Insider, in partnership with PhotoWings, hosts live events and regular live presentations with a monthly newsletter published to a global audience. In addition, Dispatches: The VII Insider Blog is a hub for the best writing on visual journalism with video resources that provide a rich, searchable archive for students, photographers, and the public.

Our curated platform, VII Community, in partnership with PhotoWings, centers on continuing media education, mentoring, and encouraging comradeship in a media landscape where collaboration is vital. With a mission to foster opportunities and further the tuition-free education of visual practitioners, the platform is designed to be a career-enhancing network for the over 1,000 VII Academy alumni worldwide.

VII Community promotes open discussion, practical media knowledge, and professional training through monthly talks by industry leaders, portfolio reviews, mentorships, and educational resources in multiple languages.

©Maggie Steber/ VII
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