This application is only for journalists who received a seed grant from the Fund for preliminary reporting, and they are now coming back for a full, regular grant for an investigative story on the same topic.

If you would like to apply for a regular grant but did not receive a seed grant for this story, please see the application form for regular grants.

Thank you for your interest in applying for a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism. The Fund provides grants to journalists for investigative stories that break new ground – which means they uncover wrongdoing in the public and private sectors and reveal information that was previously unknown or hidden. Below is an overview of the grant application. You can also watch this short video about what to include in the grant application and watch this short video about how to craft an effective proposal.

Types of grants

The fund provides three main types of grants:

• Regular Grants for expenses of investigative stories on any topic, in any type of media in the U.S. These grants are up to $10,000.
• Seed Grants for preliminary reporting that can help shape investigative stories. These are also on any topic and for U.S. stories. These grants are up to $2,500 for initial reporting expenses. Journalists who receive seed grants can come back to the Fund to apply for a regular grant, after they’re preliminary reporting is finished.
• Follow-Up Grants for journalists who received a regular grant and now need funding to do shorter follow-up stories, after the initial investigation runs. These grants are up to $2,500. 

 Basic information and requirements

• Grants are for specific investigative projects. They cover expenses such as travel, records fees, research, equipment rental and reporting time. 
• While most applicants are freelancers, some applicants are news outlets seeking assistance to cover the expenses of investigations. The Fund encourages proposals from journalists of color.
• The Fund provides grants for print and online articles, television and radio stories, documentary films, podcasts and books.
• To be considered, foreign-based story proposals must come from U.S.-based reporters or have a strong U.S. angle involving American citizens, government or business; all stories must be published in English, in a media outlet in the United States.
• Applications must include a brief summary, proposal, budget, resume, clips, references and letter of commitment from a media outlet to publish the story.
• All information contained in an application is held strictly confidential by the Fund's board and staff, is shared with no one outside of the organization, and is used solely for the purpose of making a grant decision.

 Timing of review

• Regular grants and seed grants are made three times each year, in the spring, summer and fall. Deadlines are posted on our website. Applicants receive a decision about six weeks after the deadline for proposals.
• The Fund reviews two types of grants on a rolling basis: follow-up grants and proposals for regular grants from journalists who received seed grants for preliminary reporting on the same story. Applicants receive a decision within about a month of applying for these grants. 
• For regular grants, the first half of the grant award is paid when the proposal is approved and the second half is paid when the story is published. Seed grants and follow-up grants are paid in full when the proposal is approved.

Key information to include in the proposal The Fund’s Board of Directors reviews every grant application carefully and votes on which to approve. The narrative proposal in the grant application should answer five key questions clearly and directly:

1. What makes this an investigative journalism project? (Explain what wrongdoing it would uncover in the public or private sector that has been previously hidden or unknown, and explain what parties or systems your reporting will investigate as accountable for the wrongdoing.)
2. What initial findings do you already have? (Share what information you’ve already developed and hope to develop that will make this a good story. Be specific, and share details of what you’ve already learned and how you’ve learned it. All information is held strictly confidential.)
3. What is your investigative plan? (Share your general roadmap for tracking down information, including public records, other documents, interviews and your own observations.)
4. What will you uncover that’s new? (Distinguish what new information your investigation would uncover or expose, as opposed to what information you’ll report on that’s already public.)
5. Why are you uniquely suited to do this? (Share any experience you have covering the relevant field or issues, or what background you have that qualifies you for this investigative journalism project.)

Budget guidelines

Please see the sample budget on our website. 

• Your estimated budget should itemize expenses of reporting such as travel, document fees, equipment rentals (not purchase) and the reporter’s time. 
• The budget should be specific and detailed. It should show a breakdown of expenses and explain how you arrived at estimates.
• Grants will not cover expenses such as office space rental, office supplies and equipment purchase.
• If you are receiving other funding for this investigative project, your budget should identify other sources. The budget should show the sources and amounts of funding you have already secured (meaning it has been either committed or received), as well as sources and amounts of funding you’re in the process of requesting.

  We do not accept resubmissions of proposals that we’ve declined previously, unless we specifically invite you to resubmit it.

We do not accept multiple proposals from the same applicant in one grant cycle, except in rare cases. To seek an exception to this guideline, please email us at grants@fij.org.

Please follow the prompts below to apply. If you have questions or need help completing an application, please email us at grants@fij.org.