Thank you for your interest in applying for a Fund for Investigative Journalism emergency grant for stories on threats to democracy in the U.S. These grants are for stories that break new ground and expose wrongdoing related to threats to democracy in the U.S.

The Fund encourages proposals from journalists with diverse backgrounds.

Grants are up to $10,000 and cover the expenses of investigations, such as travel, document collection, equipment rental and reporters’ time.

The Fund will review proposals on a rolling basis. Grant decisions can be expected within 2-4 weeks of submission of application. The first half of the grant will be paid upon approval, and the second half will be paid upon publication.

If you need help completing this application, please email grants@fij.org, and we will get back to you quickly.

Budget guidelines: Your estimated budget must itemize anticipated expenses such as travel, document fees, equipment rentals and stipends. The budget should be specific and identify other sources of funding.

Publishing outlet: You must attach a commitment letter from a media outlet to publish the story. The Fund encourages proposals that include plans to co-publish the story in multiple media outlets or platforms.

Disclaimer of liability: 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.

To apply, please address the prompts in the application form. You may save your work and come back to the application, but once you press “apply” on the final page, you will not be able to make changes.