The Fund for Investigative Journalism is accepting proposals for grants of up to $10,000 for stories that break new ground and uncover wrongdoing in the public or private sectors.
Proposals are due Monday, May 1, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Journalists whose proposals are accepted will be notified (and receive first payment) in June.
Grants are paid directly to freelance investigative reporters or media outlets for expenses related to investigations, including travel costs, records-related fees, document collection and analysis costs, reporters’ time and other expenses. Grants can be used for print or online articles, television or radio stories, books, podcasts and documentaries.
- Visit the online application portal: https://investigate.submittable.com/submit
- Read answers to frequently asked questions about grant applications: http://fij.org/grants-faq/
- View a recent webinar on how to apply for a grant, featuring a member of the Fund’s board of directors and the Fund’s executive director: http://bit.ly/3G3fG0e
- Email [email protected] for assistance in the application process or feedback on a proposal idea
The grant application includes the following components:
- Brief summary (100 words or less)
- Full proposal (1,000 words or less) that explains what makes this an investigative journalism project, what initial findings the applicant has, what the applicant’s investigative plan is, what the story will uncover that’s new, and why the applicant is uniquely suited to do the story
- Budget for the project
- Resume and references
- Letter of commitment from a media outlet to publish the story
The Fund’s Board of Directors, all accomplished journalists, reviews grant proposals and decides which ones to accept. Journalists who receive grants from the Fund are also eligible for other support, including editorial mentorship, pro bono legal help (through a partnership with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press) and training.
For stories published with support from the Fund for Investigative Journalism, go to: https://fij.org/grantees-stories/. For highlights of the impact of stories supported by the Fund, go to: http://fij.org/impact/.
The Fund also provides emergency grants for stories on threats to democracy in the U.S. Proposals for these grants are reviewed on a rolling basis. For more on those grants, go to: https://investigate.submittable.com/submit/225755/fij-emergency-grant-threats-to-democracy-in-the-u-s.