WASHINGTON, DC, November 13, 2020 – The Fund for Investigative Journalism today announced that its board of directors awarded grants to reporters for 18 new investigative projects in its most recent rounds of funding.
The new grantees are working on local, state and national stories, and they are based in 11 states across the U.S. Some of the journalists received emergency rolling grants for coverage related to the COVID-19 pandemic or police misconduct, and some received grants through the Fund’s regular grant cycle for stories on any topic. In addition to receiving grants, the reporters will have the opportunity to be paired with seasoned journalists who serve as editorial mentors and can request pro bono legal assistance through the Fund’s partnership with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
“While we don’t disclose the nature of our grantees’ investigations before they’re published, these journalists are working on important stories that will have a significant impact,” said Eric Ferrero, executive director of the Fund for Investigative Journalism. “For more than 50 years, we’ve shown that one reporter, given proper support to dig deep and keep digging, can make a profound difference in the world. We’re honored to support the journalists behind these 18 new projects with funding and other critical assistance.”
The reporters receiving new grants include:
- David M. Bernstein, local reporting network fellow, ProPublica.
- Jim Daley, politics editor, South Side Weekly, and Kiran Misra, features reporter.
- Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven, freelance journalist based in Chicago.
- Peter Fairley, freelance energy and environment journalist.
- Mya Frazier, contributing feature writer, Bloomberg Businessweek.
- Justin Glawe, freelance journalist and researcher.
- Nick Grube, Washington correspondent, Honolulu Civil Beat.
- Lucas Guilkey and JoeBill Muñoz, independent documentary filmmakers and investigative journalists.
- Ashley Hackett, freelance journalist based in Washington, D.C.
- Cassandra Jaramillo, police reporter, The Dallas Morning News.
- Erin Jordan, investigative reporter, The Cedars Rapids Gazette.
- Geoffrey King, freelance journalist based in California.
- Ryan Krull, freelance journalist based in St. Louis, Missouri.
- Arwa Mahdawi, freelance journalist based in New York City.
- Damaso Reyes, founder, Clarify Media.
- Karen de Sá, editor in chief, Chronicle of Social Change
- Jon Styf, senior news editor, Shaw Media Local News Network
- Nancy West, founder and executive editor, New Hampshire Center for Public Interest Journalism.
For an index of stories published so far this year with grants and other support from the Fund for Investigative Journalism, click here.
For highlights of the impact stories published with grants from the Fund for Investigative Journalism have had, click here.