Fij Reporting Grants to Support Investigative Journalists

Key Information

• Eligibility: The Fund for Investigative Journalism (FIJ)’s grants are intended for investigative journalists.
• Funding amount: Average $5,000, maximum $10,000.
• Type of funding: Programatic
• Target countries: United States (foreign-based stories can be considered under special conditions, see below)
• Process/award timelines: It is FIJ policy to pay the first half of approved grants to successful applicants, with the second half of the grant paid on publication of a finished project in accordance with the original proposal and within the agreed deadline (generally one year after the grant is issued).
• Application languages: English
• Success rate:  In 2019 FIJ awarded 43 grants. See the breakdown of the issues the grantees covered in 2019 and some examples of their work here.

FIJ’s Board of Directors looks for:  stories that break new ground and expose wrongdoing – such as corruption, malfeasance, or abuse of power – in the public and private sectors. FIJ encourages proposals written for ethnic media as well as those submitted by journalists of colour. Grants cover out-of-pocket expenses such as travel, document collection, and equipment rental. FIJ also considers requests for small stipends.

FIJ also has a small crew of experienced investigative journalists who are available to mentor a select number of our grant recipients.

All application documents must be written in English and budgets expressed in U.S. dollars. FIJ accepts requests for mentors as a part of this application process.

To be considered, foreign-based story proposals must come from US-based reporters, have a strong US angle involving American citizens, government, or business, and must be published in English, in a media outlet in the United States.

You can find more information about the FIJ Reporting Grants to Support Investigative Journalists here.