The Fund for Investigative Journalism provides grants and other support for reporters to produce high-quality, unbiased, nonpartisan investigative stories that have an impact.
Freelance journalists, staff reporters and media outlets are eligible for grants, and their investigations can be for print, online or broadcast stories, books, documentaries or podcasts.
We provide several types of grants:
- Regular grants: We review proposals three to four times a year for grants up to $10,000. The next deadline is Monday, April 27, 2026.
- Seed funding: We provide small grants, up to $2,500, for preliminary reporting that can lead to full investigations. These grants cover costs like open-records requests and initial reporting trips. The next deadline is Monday, April 27, 2026.
- Follow-up grants: We accept proposals for timely follow-up coverage to original investigations that were produced with grants from the Fund. Grantees can apply for expedited review for follow-up grants up to $2,500.
- Regular grants for those who have previously received Seed funding: We review proposals for individuals who received Seed funding from FIJ for grants up to $10,000 on a rolling basis. Applicants receive a decision within about two to four weeks.
- Alicia Patterson Fellowships: Fellows will spend either six or 12 months traveling, researching, reporting and writing stories on specific topics that will be published in news outlets. Fellows are awarded $40,000 for a 12-month grant or $20,000 for a six-month grant.
Regular, Follow-up proposals, Seed funding, and Regular for previous Seed grantees are submitted through separate application forms. Alicia Patterson Fellowships are awarded annually.
We do not accept resubmissions of proposals that we’ve declined previously, unless we specifically invite you to resubmit.
We do not accept multiple proposals from the same applicant in one grant cycle, except in rare cases. To seek an exception to this guidelines, please email us at [email protected].
More information about our grants is below. Additional resources about applying for grants include:
- Frequently Asked Questions about applying for a grant.
- 30-minute video with a former grantee and a Board member sharing tips for applying for a grant
- How to contact us to ask questions or get feedback
General information about grants
Regular and Seed Grants
- Winter: January 30 at 11:59 pm ET
- Spring: April 27 at 11:59 pm ET
- Summer: September 14 at 11:59 pm ET
We review applications for regular grants three or four times a year. Applicants receive a decision about six weeks after the deadline.
We review applications for seed funding (small grants for preliminary reporting) a couple of times a year. The next deadline to apply for seed funding is Friday, May 10, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.
The maximum grant is $10,000. Grants cover out-of-pocket expenses such as travel, document collection and equipment rental. Grants can also be used to cover reporting time.
Reporters who have already published an investigation with a grant from the Fund can request up to $2,500 for timely follow-up coverage to the original story.
Reporters who do not yet have a full investigative proposal, but need support to do initial reporting to develop a story, an apply for seed funding to help cover the expenses of preliminary reporting. These grants range from $1,000 to $2,500.
For grants for full investigative proposals, the Fund requires applicants to obtain a “Letter of Commitment” from a news outlet agreeing to publish or air the story. The letter states that the news outlet intends to run the story, provided it meets the outlet’s expectations and standards. Proposals for seed funding do not require a Letter of Commitment, but applicants can share a letter of recommendation from an editor, mentor or professor if they choose to.
The Letter of Commitment for full proposals should not be thought of as an unqualified pledge. If the work is not satisfactory, the news outlet cannot be expected to publish it. The Fund needs this commitment before we make a grant because we don’t have the capacity to help reporters place stories. The letter must be written on letterhead that includes contact information for the news outlet and the individual signing it.
If you are book author applying for a grant, a signed book contract from a publisher serves as the commitment. If you are a documentary filmmaker, a letter of support from a distributor or broadcaster can serve as the commitment.
- The Board of Directors looks for: stories that break new ground and expose wrongdoing, such as corruption, malfeasance, or misuse of power – in the public and private sectors.
- The Fund encourages proposals written for ethnic media and submitted by journalists of color.
To be considered, foreign-based story proposals must have a very strong U.S. angle, involving American citizens, government or business. All stories must be published in English and have a media outlet in the United States.
Your estimated budget should show the reporting expenses that would be covered by the grant. Grants are for the expenses of investigative reporting, such as records fees, travel, reporting time, equipment rentals, research, etc.
Please use this format for your budget, and attach it in Word or PDF.
Each cost item in your budget should have a detailed rationale explaining how you arrived at the estimate for that item. For example, reporting time should include the expected number of hours and an hourly rate of pay, and travel expenses should break down each planned trip, the purpose of the trip and the specific expenses for that trip.
We welcome questions about the application process and requirements by email, [email protected]. Contact us before the application deadline and we will be happy to help.
Our staff screens proposals, and our Board of Directors reviews and votes on all eligible proposals.
The Fund for Investigative Journalism’s role in assisting journalists is limited to making grants. The Fund assumes no liability for the legal and/or safety risks undertaken by journalists in the course of their reporting.