Before his death, Daniel encouraged his friends to continue his quest for peace and for the democratic and political empowerment of civil society. With his approval, this award was established by the four founding organizations in his memory and in the spirit of his legacy. The prize is intended to show the world that whistleblowers can make a difference. That they can make an important contribution to peace and democracy and that whistleblowers are often indispensable to hold power to account.
Our Committees
The International Ellsberg Whistleblower Award is a collaborative effort involving a diverse group of stakeholders. We have established various committees to ensure efficient organization and maximize our impact.
Our charter provides a detailed overview of our structure.
Continue reading to learn more about each committee.
Our Executive Board
The executive board is responsible for overseeing the overall direction and operations of the International Ellsberg Whistleblower Award. The current members of the executive board are The Reva and David Logan Foundation, taz Panther Foundation, Wau Holland Foundation, and Whistleblower Network, the four founding organizations of the Ellsberg Whistleblower Award.
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The Reva and David Logan Foundation is a Chicago-based family foundation that provides strategic grants to support social justice, the arts, and investigative journalism both in Chicago and around the world.
The non-profit taz Panther Foundation (taz Panter Stiftung) is committed to critical journalism and media freedom around the world. It was founded in Berlin in 2008 by the taz cooperative, which publishes “die tageszeitung” as an independent progressive newspaper. To realize international projects, the foundation cooperates with NGOs such as Reporters Without Borders but also the German Federal Foreign Office.
The Wau Holland Foundation continues the courageous work of Wau Holland (Herwart Holland-Moritz) against totalitarian structures and for the unconditional enforcement of human rights in order to strengthen the peaceful coexistence of peoples. The Wau Holland Foundation works to preserve and further Wau Holland’s unique ideas of free-thinking in the fields of freedom of communication and informational self-determination.
Whistleblower Netzwerk e.V (WBN) is committed to improving the legal protection and social standing of whistleblowers in Germany. WBN prepares expert reports and statements and makes proposals for improving legal protection. In its public relations and educational work, it raises awareness of how democracy and the rule of law benefit from whistleblowers. Through an advisory service for potential whistleblowers, WBN provides assistance and learns more about the practical challenges facing whistleblowers.
Our Advisory Board
Our Advisory Board Members offer their expertise to the member organizations and committees of the Ellsberg Whistleblower Award.
Our Patrons
Daniel Ellsberg’s wife Patricia Ellsberg and his sons Michael Ellsberg and Robert Ellsberg are the patrons of the Ellsberg Whistleblower Award.
Our Member Organizations
We want to base our work on a network of non-profit member organizations that actively contribute to the implementation of our goals and objectives. Together, we want to build regional and cross-regional alliances to protect and strengthen whistleblowers and their supporters. To do so, the managing board will help all member organizations to set up a secure, anonymous, online whistleblowing platform and will advise the member organizations on other possible support structures for whistleblowers.
Furthermore, our member organizations will identify and nominate suitable candidates for the award, e.g. from their respective home regions. This way, we can create networks of support for the whistleblowers and raise awareness for the grievances they have brought to light – grievances that otherwise may have gone unnoticed in other parts of the world.
Interested? Learn more.
Our Jury
Our jury is responsible for choosing the recipient of the Ellsberg Whistleblower Award based on a evaluation of all nominations submitted by member organizations and the executive board. The jury is appointed by both the executive and the member organizations and comprises representatives from various professional and scientific diciplines and nationalities.
Our Managing Board
Our day to day business is carried out by our managing board at Whistleblower Network in Berlin. It facilitates and coordinates the activities of all committees, organizes the award ceremonies, and assists associated members organizations in establishing regional whistleblower support initiatives.
