WASHINGTON, DC; July 15, 2026 – The Fund for Investigative Journalism announced today that it is awarding 67 new grants to journalists to do groundbreaking stories in more than 25 U.S. states. The grants cover the expenses of specific investigative stories, and recipients can also receive free editorial and legal assistance.
The grants are being made to individual freelance journalists, teams of reporters, and newsrooms. Founded in 1969, the Fund has grown significantly in the last several years to meet the sharply increasing need for support for public-service journalism in the U.S.
The Fund provides grants for investigative stories in the U.S. on any topic, in all forms of media, including print, broadcast and online news stories, books, podcasts and documentary films. The Fund provides seed grants of up to $2,500 for the expenses of preliminary reporting, full grants of up to $10,000 for the expenses of investigative stories, and follow-up grant of up to $2,500 after initial investigations run. The Fund also provides Alicia Patterson Fellowships of $20,000 for six months and $40,000 for a year.
Grantees can also request pro bono legal help with records requests and pre-publication review through the Fund’s partnership with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, as well as editorial support through the Fund’s program matching grantees with veteran investigative journalists.
Following are the new grants announced today. They include seed grants, full grants, and follow-up grants. The Fund does not disclose the subject of its grantees’ reporting until their stories are published.
- Khadija Alam, investigative data journalist
- Suzie Amanuel, freelance investigative journalist based in Washington, DC
- Taylor Barnes, field reporter with the nonprofit outlet Inkstick Media
- John Beck, independent journalist
- Belly of the Beast, independent US-based news organization covering Cuba and US-Cuba relations.
- Nick Bowlin, freelance journalist
- CalMatters, nonprofit news organization covering California
- Chelsea Carrick, freelance investigate journalist
- Stephanie Casanova, freelance investigative journalist based in Arizona
- The Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism, non-profit investigative journalism organization
- Alyssa Choiniere, freelance journalist based in Pennsylvania
- The City Reporter, independent, nonprofit news outlet based in New York City
- Krissy Clark, freelance journalist based in California
- Jesús Jank Curbelo, special investigative correspondent with the Texas Observer
- Dark Roast Report, independent, nonprofit news outlet covering the Texoma (Southwest Oklahoma and North Texas) area
- Marianne Dhenin, freelance journalist
- Anayansi Diaz-Cortes, investigative journalist and radio producer based in Berkeley, California
- Caitlín Doherty, freelance journalist based in London and Donegal
- Melanie Eversley, freelance journalist based in New York
- Emmanuel Felton, freelance investigative journalist based in New York
- Steve Fisher, investigative journalist
- Bethanie Gengler, community reporter and freelance investigative journalist based in Wisconsin
- Nellie Gilles, radio producer and journalist based in Brooklyn
- Ylenia Gostoli, freelance investigative journalist from Italy
- Leah Harris, freelance investigative journalist based in Virginia
- Sally Herships, journalist based in New York
- Violet Ikonomova of the Detroit Free Press
- The Imprint, nonprofit news outlet covering child welfare and youth justice
- InvestigateWest, nonprofit news organization covering Washington, Oregon and Idaho
- Cara Kelly and Olivia Messer, independent investigative journalists covering gender-based violence and misconduct
- Pamela Kirkland, host and investigative reporter for Georgia Public Broadcasting
- Latina Media Co.
- Sawyer Loftus of Bangor Daily News and Rose Lundy of The Maine Monitor, for a collaborative investigation
- Olga Loginova, freelance environmental journalist and filmmaker based in New York
- Mariel Lozada, freelance climate journalist based in New York City
- Monique O. Madan, Miami-based veteran investigative journalist and founder of the newsletter, Two Can Be True.
- William Martin, video journalist/documentary filmmaker
- Wyatt Massey, freelance journalist based in rural Wisconsin
- MinistryWatch, nonprofit news organization covering Christian ministry accountability
- Jim Morris, executive director and editor-in-chief, Public Health Watch
- The New Bedford Light, nonprofit news organization covering New Bedford, Massachusetts
- Nowruz Media, civic and community-driven media outlet serving Afghan immigrants in California
- Lauren Ober, freelance journalist based in Washington, DC
- Jennifer Oldham, freelance investigative journalist based in Colorado
- Liana Ordoñez, bilingual journalist covering social justice
- Georgie Pease, student at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
- Marjorie Perry, independent journalist
- Christine Peterson, freelance journalist based in Wyoming
- Question Everything, podcast from KCRW and Placement Theory
- Rebecca Plevin, reporter at Proof News
- Olga Proskurnina, editor-in-chief of Most Media
- Reema Saleh, independent journalist based in Chicago
- Riddhi Setty, reporter at the Columbia Journalism Review
- Rasheed Shabazz, program director and investigative journalist at Oakland Voices
- Signal Cleveland, nonprofit newsroom
- Sylvia Snowden, WGN Radio in Chicago
- Marco Dalla Stella, freelance investigative journalist based in Brooklyn
- Gretchen Sterba, freelance culture journalist based in Chicago
- Sarah Stodola, writer and journalist based in New York
- TechCity Media, news outlet covering the digital world
- Texas Observer, nonprofit news organization
- Robin Urevich, senior staff reporter, Capital & Main
- The Utah Investigative Journalism Project
- Juan Vassallo, Oklahoma-based meat industry reporter at Investigate Midwest
- Chris Vazquez, Chicago-based social video journalist
- Amanda Williams, freelance reporter and editor in Colorado
- Wisconsin Watch, nonprofit news organization covering Wisconsin
The Fund’s Board of Directors, all accomplished journalists, reviews grant proposals and votes on which to approve. A group of Board and Advisory Board members reviewed seed grant proposals and made recommendations to the full Board, which voted on them. That review group included Ellen Weiss, Kimbriell Kelly, Emmanuel Martinez, Luis Botello and Deborah Nelson.
The next deadline to apply for grants is Sept. 14. Details are online here: https://fij.org/apply-for-a-grant/, and a new video on how to craft a strong proposal is online here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk0PK1IUmoM.
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