We provide Alicia Patterson Fellowships for six months (paying $20,000) or 12 months (paying $40,000) for in-depth written reporting. The fellowship application opens in May and proposals are due Oct. 1 every year, with decisions in early January. We began providing these fellowships after the Alicia Patterson Foundation merged into the Fund for Investigative Journalism. Learn more about Alicia Patterson here. Thank you for your interest in applying for the Fund for Investigative Journalism’s Alicia Patterson Fellowships. 

Alicia Patterson Fellowships support significant, in-depth written reporting on subjects of public interest. Six-month fellowships pay $20,000, and 12-month fellowships pay $40,000. Applications for 2027 fellowships are due Oct. 1, 2026. Decisions will be made by the end of the year, for fellowships to begin in early 2027.

Eligibility criteria and requirements

• Reporting projects must be for print/online publication (i.e., written projects), and they must be U.S. focused. Fellows aren’t required to live in the U.S., but the reporting project must be focused on the U.S., for publication in U.S. outlets.
• Reporting projects should be in-depth and investigative in nature, and can cover any topic of public interest.
• Freelancers are strongly encouraged to apply for the fellowship. Applicants who are on staff full-time at media outlets may apply, if they intend to take a leave from their job for the fellowship. Fellows may work part-time during the fellowship period, but they may not work another full-time job while also doing the fellowship. 
• Funds are paid directly to fellows monthly for the duration of the fellowship, and funds can be used for reporting expenses (travel, research, records fees, etc.), as well as living expenses during the reporting project. Fellowship funds are paid, reported and taxed like other freelance income; like other freelance work, fellows do not receive benefits other than the grant award. 
• The fellowship is for seasoned reporters who already have a body of in-depth, written reporting work. There is no minimum number of years of experience required for the fellowship, but it is not for journalists who don’t yet have relevant reporting experience. 
• Fellows are required to produce at least four written articles during a yearlong fellowship or two articles during a six-month fellowship. A letter of commitment from a publisher is not required for the application, but proposals should provide a sense of outlets the journalist plans to pitch.

Application components

• Written proposal: Applicants submit a written proposal of no more than three pages, single-spaced, on how they would use an Alicia Patterson Foundation fellowship, and why. The proposal includes a brief summary of the four articles the applicant will be required to write as an Alicia Patterson Fellow. The proposal includes an overview of the proposed project, an explanation of the investigative/accountability angle, initial findings from the applicant’s own reporting that show there’s a story, and a detailed description of the reporting the applicant would do during the fellowship.
• Applicant bio: Applicants submit a written statement of no more than two pages, single-spaced, on why they went into journalism, what their journalistic experience is, and what their future career plans are. 
• Budget: Applicants submit a detailed budget with their expected reporting expenses and living expenses during the fellowship period, as well as any other sources of income they expect. Applicants also provide their actual total income for 2025 and their expected total income for 2026.
• Work samples and history: Applicants provide three work samples, as well as a list of published work and a list of other awards and fellowships they’ve received.
• References: Applicants provide the names and contact information for two references, along with an explanation of how the references know their journalistic work. 

If you have questions about the fellowship or the application, please email aliciapatterson@fij.org. 

About the Alicia Patterson Fellowships: The fellowships started in 1965, when the foundation was launched in honor of Alicia Patterson, the founding editor and publisher of Newsday and the first woman to run a major U.S. newspaper. At the end of 2025, the Alicia Patterson Foundation closed and merged into the Fund for Investigative Journalism, which now manages the fellowship program. 

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, and they shed light on accountability for wrongdoing. 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 the following types of grants:

• Regular Grants for reporting expenses for 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 their 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. 
• Alicia Patterson Fellowships for in-depth reporting. These are awarded once a year, and they pay $40,000 for a 12-month fellowship and $20,000 for a six-month fellowship. Proposals are due Oct. 1, and fellowships awarded in January.

 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 nonprofit 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 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. Alicia Patterson Fellowships are awarded annually.
• 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. Provide concrete examples you’ve identified in your preliminary reporting. 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. Share what you plan to get, and how you plan to get it.)
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. Conduct comprehensive clip searches for other coverage of the issue and the broader topic; share clips you’ve found, and explain clearly how your investigation will go further.)

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. Grants also will not cover production costs or distribution/promotion expenses.
• If you are receiving other funding for this investigative project, you should share that information in a note at the end of your budget.

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.

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, and they shed light on accountability for wrongdoing. 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 the following types of grants:

• Regular Grants for reporting expenses for 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 their 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. 
• Alicia Patterson Fellowships for in-depth reporting. These are awarded once a year, and they pay $40,000 for a 12-month fellowship and $20,000 for a six-month fellowship. Proposals are due Oct. 1, and fellowships awarded in January.  

 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 nonprofit 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 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. Alicia Patterson Fellowships are awarded annually.
• 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. Provide concrete examples you’ve identified in your preliminary reporting. 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. Share what you plan to get, and how you plan to get it.)
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. Conduct comprehensive clip searches for other coverage of the issue and the broader topic; share clips you’ve found, and explain clearly how your investigation will go further.)

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. Grants also will not cover production costs or distribution/promotion expenses.
• If you are receiving other funding for this investigative project, you should share that information in a note at the end of your budget.

   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.

Thank you for your interest in applying for a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism. This application is for seed funding to cover the expenses of preliminary reporting, such as open-records requests and initial reporting trips. If you want to apply for a regular grant, with a full investigative story proposal, please use the form for regular grants. 

 Overview of grants for seed funding

• Grants are for preliminary reporting for specific projects. The grants cover early reporting that can lead to full investigative projects. This includes, for example, open-records requests, initial reporting trips to identify and interview sources and the reporter’s time.
• Grants are $1,000 to $2,500. The entire grant is paid up-front.
• Journalists who receive seed funding can apply for full grants (up to $10,000) once they conduct the preliminary reporting and secure a commitment from a media outlet to publish or broadcast 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.  

Criteria for seed funding

• Freelance journalists and those who are not in full-time staff roles at a media outlet are eligible to apply for seed funding.
• Seed funding must be used to obtain documents or information that could lead to a full investigative story. The journalist’s time can be one cost covered by the grant, but it should not be the only cost.
• Other criteria for seed funding mirrors the Fund’s criteria for full grants: stories must be investigative in nature (meaning they uncover wrongdoing that was previously hidden or unknown, and shed light on accountability), and the story must have a very strong U.S. angle.

What to include in the application

• Resume and two work samples
• You can include a letter of recommendation from an editor, mentor or professor if you choose, but this is optional.
• A one-paragraph summary of your project. This should be able to stand alone as a very brief description of the preliminary reporting you plan to do and the investigation you think it could shape.
• A longer narrative of what the potential story is, why you think there’s a bigger story and what preliminary reporting you plan to conduct. 
• A brief explanation of why you believe there’s a story. This can be tips from sources, initial research, etc. 
• Estimates of the preliminary reporting expenses that you need funding to carry out, with a rationale for how the estimates were calculated. This should be a detailed breakdown of costs (for example, specific locations of trips and costs of airfare, mileage, lodging etc., and/or a breakdown of your expected time to report the project and your hourly rate).
• A brief explanation of other reporting that has been done on this subject and how your project would advance the story.

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

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.