Category Archives: Journalism

Press Forward Open Call on Infrastructure

The Press Forward Open Call on Infrastructure supports programs to strengthen the local news industry in the U.S. They expect to award 20-30 grants of 500,000 – $1.5 million over three years in the areas of Audience, Operations, People, and Revenue.

Letters of Inquiry are due by January 15, 2025 at 11:59 AM ET. If invited, full proposals will be due in March. Finalists may be invited to participate in an interview with staff, funders, and external reviewers.

Eligibility

This grant is open to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations such as:

  • Journalism support organizations and intermediaries
  • News organizations working collaboratively with other news organizations or the intent to do so
  • Universities

For profit organizations may be part of a collaborative effort, but the lead applicant must be a nonprofit.

Program Areas

Grants will be awarded in these priority areas:

  • Audience – methodologies, technology, and tools to attract new audiences, diversify the audience base and/or deepen relationships with existing audiences
  • People – bolstering the talent pipeline and encouraging diversity in the newsroom
  • Operations – increasing operational resiliency through changes to business functions such as accounting, human resources, governance, legal support, and financial planning
  • Revenue – methodologies or tools to generate revenue and/or diversify revenue streams

Program Requirements

All proposed projects must:

  • Experiment with new solutions to common challenges
  • Impact or inform the field on a national level
  • Pilot ideas locally that can be replicated in other regions AND/OR
  • Have a proven track record but require deeper investment to realize a greater impact

PEN America U.S. Writers Aid Initiative

The PEN America U.S. Writers Aid Initiative supports professional writers in the United States facing financial hardship due to a short-term emergency situation. Applicants do not need to be PEN America members and all grantees will receive a free one year membership.

Applications are accepted and reviewed on a quarterly basis. Deadlines for 2025 are currently January 1st, April 1st, July 1st, and October 1st.

Eligibility

This grant is open to professional writers including:

  • Fiction authors
  • Nonfiction authors
  • Poets
  • Playwrights
  • Screenwriters
  • Translators
  • Journalists

Writers currently enrolled in degree-granting programs are also not eligible.

Professional Credentials

The grants committee will review applicants’ credentials to determine if they qualify as a ‘professional writer.’ Qualifying work includes:

  • One or more books that were not self published or published by a press that charges for publication.
  • Multiple essays, short stories, or poems appearing in online or print literary anthologies or literary journals in the last two years.
  • A full-length play, performed in a theater by a professional theater company. Academic company productions are only eligible if the author was not a student at the time of production.
  • Employment as a full-time professional journalist, columnist, or critic, or a record of consistent freelance publications over the last two years.
  • Forthcoming books, essays, short stories, poems, or articles under contract and for which the name of the publisher can be provided.

Pulitzer Center U.S. Local News Reporting Grants

Pulitzer Center U.S. Local News Reporting Grants support local journalism that addresses systemic issues and holds local power players accountable.

Applications are accepted on a continual basis for in-depth, investigative reporting projects. The Pulitzer Center will also create educational materials and organize events to promote funded projects.

Eligibility

This grant is open to:

  • Freelancers
  • Staff journalists
  • Groups of newsrooms working in collaboration

Funding Limitations

Grant funding may not be used for:

  • General operating expenses
  • Staff salaries
  • Equipment purchases
  • Advocacy and marketing
  • Routine news coverage
  • Books
  • Feature length films
  • Academic research
  • Seed money for start ups

Application

Applications must include:

  • A project description of 250 words or fewer
  • A preliminary budget with a basic breakdown of costs 
  • A compelling distribution plan

Pulitzer Center Global Reporting Grant

The Pulitzer Center supports journalists telling stories that have the potential to change the world. The Global Reporting Grant funds reporting on topics that may be overlooked by other media sources.

Applications to investigate the root causes of crises anywhere in the world are accepted on an ongoing basis. Applicants should expect to receive a response by the end of the month following their submission.

Eligibility

This grant is open to all journalists, including:

  • Writers
  • Photographers
  • Radio producers
  • Filmmakers
  • Staff journalists
  • Freelancers
  • Veteran reporters
  • Less experienced journalists

Diversity is also very important to the Pulitzer Center. Journalists of all genders, ethnicities, and nationalities are encouraged to apply.

Allowable Expenses

This grant does not have a maximum amount, but applicants are expected to compare prices and keep expenses reasonable.

Funds may be used for basic expenses, such as:

Image by Engin Akyurt
  • Airfare
  • Lodging
  • Meals
  • Local ground transportation
  • Records requests
  • Data analysis/visualization
  • Translators

Grant funds may not be used for:

  • General expenses
  • Salaries
  • Equipment purchases
  • Marketing
  • Books
  • Feature-length films
  • Routine news coverage

Application Requirements

All applications should include:

  • A project description of up to 250 words
  • A publication plan, including letters of interest or commitment
  • A preliminary budget with cost breakdown
  • Three samples of published work (print or broadcast)
  • Three professional references
  • Curriculum vitae

Freelancers proposing to enter hostile environments must also have a firm assignment from a news organization that will take full responsibility for their well-being.