Here’s a list of current media and journalism fellowship programs, including the deadlines for applying. If we’re missing any major programs, or you would like your program to be in the featured fellowship slot, please let us know by contacting Mark Glaser at mark [at] mediashift [dot] org and we’ll add them to the list. All featured fellowships are paid promotional slots. Fellowship descriptions are excerpts, edited for length and clarity.
APRIL 2017 DEADLINES
James Richard Bennett Scholarships
The scholarship sends a limited number of college students in Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma or Louisiana to attend the annual IRE conference. The scholarships are made possible by a donation to IRE by Dr. James R. Bennett, professor emeritus of English, University of Arkansas.
Deadline: April 23, 2017
IRE Diversity Fellowship
Established by the Philip L. Graham Fund to send a limited number of professional journalists to attend IRE’s conferences. These fellowships are aimed at increasing the diversity of IRE’s membership. Applicants for this award should identify themselves with one of the following minority groups: Black/African American, American Indian/Alaskan, Native American, Asian-American, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino.
Deadline: April 23, 2017
Jennifer Leonard Scholarship
The award sends women of modest means who are college students studying journalism or professional journalists with three or fewer years of working experience to IRE’s conferences.
Deadline: April 23, 2017
MAY 2017 & BEYOND DEADLINES
McGraw Fellowship for Business Journalism
The aim of the McGraw Fellowship for Business Journalism is to support in-depth, ambitious coverage of critical issues related to the global economy and business. In an age when many news organizations no longer have the resources to tackle complex, time-consuming stories, the Fellowships enable experienced journalists to do the deep reporting needed to produce a serious piece of investigative, analytic, or narrative journalism.
Deadline: May 31, 2017
Knight Visiting Nieman Fellowships
The Knight Visiting Nieman Fellowships at Harvard offer short-term research opportunities to individuals interested in working on special projects designed to advance journalism in some new way.
Deadline: Sept. 29, 2017
Nieman-Berkman Klein Fellowship in Journalism Innovation
The *Nieman-Berkman Klein Fellowship in Journalism Innovation brings individuals to Harvard University to work on a specific course of research or a specific project relating to journalism innovation.
Deadline: Dec. 1, 2017 for International Journalists; Jan. 31, 2018 for American Journalists
Greenberg World Fellows Program
The Greenberg World Fellows Program, which is part of Yale’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, provides the opportunity for World Fellows to contribute to Yale’s intellectual life, participate in events, and collaborate with peers, audit classes, mentor students and lead round-table discussions. The mission of Yale World Fellows is to cultivate and empower a network of globally engaged leaders committed to making the world a better place. The 2017 program will run from mid-August to mid-December and fellows will get stipend to cover the costs of living in New Haven.
Deadline: Varies
ROLLING DEADLINES
Alicia Patterson Foundation Fellowship
To foster, promote, sustain and improve the best traditions of American journalism, the Alicia Patterson Foundation will provide support for journalists engaged in rigorous, probing, spirited, independent and skeptical work that will benefit the public. The foundation will support journalism and will foster a community of journalists engaged in truthfully informing the public.
Deadline: Rolling
International Reporting Project Religion Fellowship
The International Reporting Project (IRP) is accepting proposals to report on global religion issues. Possible topics include conflict and peace; environment and sustainability; political economy and development; health and education; gender, race and sexuality; law and human rights; social movements; migration; and humanitarianism.
Deadline: Rolling
Outside Editorial Fellowship
The fellowship is a six-month, paid position in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Duties include fact-checking, reporting, research, proofreading, and assorted support chores for the editorial department. Fellows occasionally have the opportunity to write short pieces for the magazine and website, and they will attend editorial meetings, work closely with top editors, and gain hands-on experience at an award-winning magazine.
Deadline: Rolling
Holly Whisenhunt Stephen Fellowship, Investigative Reporters & Editors
Send broadcast and/or radio journalists to IRE’s weeklong Computer-Assisted Reporting (CAR) Boot Camp series. The fellowships were established by IRE and WTHR-Indianapolis to honor Stephen, an award-winning journalist and longtime IRE member who died in Nov. 2008 after a long battle with cancer.
Deadline: Rolling — 60 days before the Boot Camp you are applying to attend.
Ottaway Fellowships, Investigative Reporters & Editors
Established by David Ottaway and the Ottaway Family Fund to send a limited number of professional journalists to IRE’s weeklong Computer-Assisted Reporting (CAR) Boot Camp series. These fellowships are aimed at increasing the diversity of IRE’s membership. Applicants for this award should identify themselves with one of the following minority groups: Black/African American, American Indian/Alaskan, Native American, Asian-American, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino.
Deadline: Rolling — 60 days before the Boot Camp you are applying to attend.
R-CAR Fellowship, Investigative Reporters & Editors
The Fund for Rural Computer-Assisted Reporting helps a journalist from a news organization in a rural area attend one of IRE’s week-long CAR boot camps. It was established by IRE member Daniel Gilbert to give rural reporters skills that will help them uncover stories that otherwise would not come to light. The fellowship is offered in conjunction with The Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues.
Deadline: Rolling — 60 days before the Boot Camp you are applying to attend.
IN PROGRESS OR FUTURE FELLOWSHIPS
California Endowment Fellowship
Latino USA, a weekly show distributed by NPR and produced by The Futuro Media Group, is taking applications for the first of two (2) year-long California-based fellowships. We are seeking graduate students, recent graduates from a journalism program or young professionals with a passionate interest in reporting on California communities and health inequities.
Fulbright Journalism & Communications Grants
Fulbright offers opportunities in Germany, Ireland, Spain and Taiwan. The timeline for this year is now closed but will start again in the early spring.
Knight-Mozilla Fellowship
Various locations
The Knight-Mozilla Fellowship places creative technologists in newsrooms to work on open-source tools and support reporting that strengthens the web and changes people’s lives. Knight-Mozilla Fellows spend 10 months working with newsroom technology teams to write open-source code, analyze and visualize data, and explore tough problems facing journalism.
Images and Voices of Hope Fellowship
ivoh’s fellowship is an extension of the organization’s work around Restorative Narrative — a genre of stories that show how people and communities are making a meaningful progression from a place of despair to a place of resilience. The fellowship, which will run February 1 through August 1, will provide five fellows with a stipend to spend six months telling Restorative Narratives in various communities.
World Journalist Fellowship
New York City
This Fellowship provides support to international journalists who enroll in one of our graduate programs in journalism at the NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute.
Data & Society Fellow
New York City
The fellowship brings together researchers, entrepreneurs, activists, policy creators, journalists and public intellectuals who are interested in engaging one another on the key issues introduced by the increasing availability of data in society.
RJI Fellowships
Columbia, Mo. or remote
The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute invites proposals from people and institutions to collaborate with us on innovative ideas and projects to improve the practice or understanding of journalism. We’re giving special consideration this year to ideas and projects focused on solving problems created by filter bubbles, fake news and mistrust of the news media; however, we also invite submission of other ideas and projects that could strengthen democracy through better journalism. Learn more here: https://www.rjionline.org/fellowships
Joan Shorenstein Fellowship
The mission of the Joan Shorenstein Fellowship Program is to advance research in the field of media, politics and public policy; facilitate a dialogue among journalists, scholars, policymakers and students; provide an opportunity for reflection; and create a vibrant and long-lasting community of scholars and practitioners. The primary focus for a Fellow is to research, write and publish a paper on a media/politics topic.
Knight-Wallace Fellowships
A Knight-Wallace Fellowship recognizes exceptional journalists for their work, leadership and potential with a unique opportunity: an academic year of study, developing new perspectives and networks, and achieving both professional and personal growth at the University of Michigan.
Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in Economics and Business Journalism
The Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in Economics and Business Journalism offers qualified journalists the opportunity to enhance their understanding and knowledge of business, economics and finance in a yearlong, full-time program administered by the Columbia Journalism School.
Martha’s Vineyard Fellowship for Innovation in Journalism
The Martha’s Vineyard Fellowship for Innovation in Journalism, created in association with the Noepe Center for the Literary Arts, will select a fellow who will work with reporters, editors and the Gazette’s webmaster in the Vineyard Gazette newsroom on a specific project that draws on publicly available data sources to create a dynamic news page. The Gazette has created the fellowship to promote experimentation and to cultivate the use of technology and multimedia in a traditional newsroom setting. Now in its second year, the fellowship is designed to give the fellow the experience of working in a small community newsroom while introducing the newspaper staff to new ideas and skills.
The Charles Koch Institute’s Media and Journalism Fellowship
The Charles Koch Institute’s Media and Journalism Fellowship provides promising writers, reporters, and multimedia professionals the opportunity to develop and refine their professional skills while working full-time in the industry. The year-long fellowship offers world-class curriculum and an individualized experience—including summits, online webinars, professional skills training, industry speakers, and mentoring—for the next generation of journalists and storytellers.
Knight Science Journalism Fellowship
The Knight Science Journalism Fellowship Program at MIT supports a global community of dedicated and thoughtful journalists specializing in science, health, technology and environmental reporting. KSJ@MIT is designed to recognize journalists who demonstrate a high level of professional excellence and accomplishment as well as a long-term commitment to their craft. Journalists from all countries compete on an equal basis and are encouraged to apply.
Ted Scripps Fellowship in Environmental Journalism
Thanks to a campus-wide commitment to research and teaching on the many facets of environmental problems, the University of Colorado Boulder’s Center for Environmental Journalism awards five Ted Scripps Fellowships each year. Over the course of an academic year, fellows deepen their knowledge of the environment through courses, weekly seminars, and field trips. They also engage in independent study expected to lead to a significant piece of journalistic work. The program covers tuition and fees, including a recreation center pass, and provides a $56,000 stipend.
Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowship
Print, broadcast and online journalists in the United States can apply for a US$65,000 fellowship in New York. The Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowships seek foreign correspondents or editors for a nine-month period of writing and analysis at the Council of Foreign Relations. The program enables the fellow to increase competency in reporting and interpreting events abroad and promotes the quality of responsible and discerning journalism.
Spotlight Investigative Journalism Fellowship
Open Road Films and Participant Media, with support from First Look Media, are sponsoring a fellowship of up to $100,000 to be awarded by The Boston Globe for one or more individuals or teams of journalists to work on in-depth research and reporting projects. The chosen journalist(s) will collaborate with established investigative reporters and editors from The Boston Globe’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Spotlight Team.
Public Interest Technology Fellowship
New America’s Public Interest Technology Fellowship Program is an ambitious new initiative designed to support an emerging public interest technology sector in America—the application of technology knowledge skills in policymaking and public service to help solve public problems.
2017 Next Gen Radio Early Career Fellowship
The Next Generation Radio Fellowship is a week-long digital journalism training project designed to give competitively selected participants, who are interested in radio and journalism, the skills and opportunity to report and produce their own multimedia story.
ICFJ Bringing Home the World Fellowship
The Bringing Home the World Fellowship helps U.S.-based minority journalists cover compelling yet under-reported international stories, increasing the diversity of voices in global news. The program helps level the playing field and redress the inequality minority journalists often face by giving them the opportunity to report from overseas and advance their careers.
Gwen Ifill/PBS NewsHour Journalism Fellow
The Gwen Ifill/PBS NewsHour Journalism Fellowship for current undergraduate and graduate students is a 10-week, paid position where you can gain hands-on, real-world experience working on “PBS NewsHour.”
ERA Summer 2017 Program
Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator combines seed capital, hands-on help and a great co-working location with an expert team to positively impact the trajectory of early-stage startups. ERA runs two, four-month programs per year.
Mother Jones Ben Bagdikian Fellowship Program
The Ben Bagdikian Fellowship Program offers a crash course in investigative journalism. It also supports emerging journalists and media professionals, allowing them to make invaluable contributions to a high-flying news organization.
IRE Freelance Fellowship
Awards of $1,000 or more are available to assist in conducting investigative projects. These fellowships for journalists who make their living primarily as freelancers were created in 2008.
Bianca Fortis is the associate editor at MediaShift, a founding member of the Transborder Media storytelling collective and a social media consultant. Follow her on Twitter @biancafortis.
