WASHINGTON, DC; December 4, 2025 – The Fund for Investigative Journalism and the Alicia Patterson Foundation announced today that the two organizations are merging, bringing together two of the oldest and largest funders of independent journalism in the United States.
Effective immediately, the Alicia Patterson Foundation will close, and its flagship six- and 12-month reporting fellowships will become a program of the Fund for Investigative Journalism. The merger, which comes at a time when journalism needs more support than ever, will help ensure that a range of assistance is available for independent investigative reporting in the U.S. for the long term.
Founded in 1969, the Fund for Investigative Journalism provides grants to reporters and news outlets for the expenses of specific investigative stories. The Fund also provides editorial and legal support to help grantees boost the quality and impact of their reporting. In just the last five years, the Fund has provided more than 525 grants to journalists for stories published in news organizations ranging from the New York Times to KHNS, the public radio station in Alaska’s northern panhandle.
The Alicia Patterson Foundation was founded in 1965 and provides fellowships for in-depth, public-interest reporting. The foundation was established in memory of Alicia Patterson, a pioneering journalist who was the founder, editor and publisher of Newsday and the first woman to start a major U.S. news organization. Over the last 60 years, the Alicia Patterson Foundation has awarded 521 fellowships, which led to major articles in hundreds of publications, including Harpers, Scientific American, the New York Times, as well as award-winning books and an Oscar-winning documentary.
With the Alicia Patterson Foundation merging into the Fund for Investigative Journalism, the Fund will now provide the following support for journalists:
- Grants of up to $10,000 for U.S.-focused investigations on any topic in any form of media
- Alicia Patterson Fellowships for in-depth written reporting, of up to $20,000 for six months and up to $40,000 for 12 months
- Seed grants of up to $2,500 for preliminary reporting (the Fund launched this program two years after acquiring another nonprofit, the Gumshoe Group, that supported early-stage investigative reporting)
- Follow-up grants of up to $2,500 to pursue additional leads after initial investigations run
“These two organizations have made it possible for generations of journalists to do hard-hitting investigative stories that expose injustice and ignite change. By adding the Alicia Patterson fellowships to our programs, the Fund for Investigative Journalism will now provide an even broader range of support to journalists, and more funding will get directly into the hands of reporters. This merger is great for both organizations and, most importantly, for public-service journalism,” said Bill Marimow, president of the Fund for Investigative Journalism’s board of directors.
Robert Lee Hotz, president of the Alicia Patterson Foundation’s board of directors, who will join the Fund’s board, said: “Our organizations have worked together for decades, and we’ve long admired the Fund’s programs and leadership. Moving the Alicia Patterson Fellowships to the Fund will continue to honor Alicia Patterson’s legacy and support the reporting she championed.”
The 2026 cohort of Alicia Patterson Fellows will be announced in early January. Applications for the 2027 fellowships will be due on October 1, 2026. Instructions and application forms will be posted on the Fund’s website, www.fij.org. Previous fellows and their stories are posted on the Alicia Patterson Foundation’s website, www.aliciapatterson.org.
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