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How to make your journalism grant and fellowship applications stand out, according to funders
Many journalists have been there: You’re brainstorming and coming up with ideas for a reporting project or a collaborative news initiative, and that one thought looms overhead — “If only I had the money.”
The truth is, the money is out there. But we’re all fighting a two-part battle: knowing where to find the funding and then being selected to receive it over all the other qualified applicants in a competitive pool.
To help pull back the curtain on this process, the Institute was joined on Sept. 9 for a discussion with Anne Godlasky, president of the National Press Foundation; Marina Walker Guevara, executive editor at the Pulitzer Center; and Monica Williams, an independent journalist and fellow at Reynolds Journalism Institute who is developing a grant tracking tool. Each panelist shared strategies to help journalists find more funding opportunities, sharpen their proposals, and stand out among their peers.
Generally speaking, the panelists advised the audience to avoid saving applications for the last minute and to try again after a rejection. Plus, they shared guidance for establishing a relationship with host publications and funders before starting the application process. For those tips and more, watch the full webinar here.
Over the next few weeks, we'll share pieces of advice from the panel.
Be clear about how you will use the funds
Don’t sell your project short, but avoid inflating your proposed budget with unsupported numbers. When possible, look at what similar projects have cost to help guide your estimate.
“The more specific, the more credible your proposal will be,” said Walker Guevara. This applies to your proposed budget. If you plan to travel for a reporting project, for example, do some research on how much it will cost per night, and factor in other line items like transportation and partnerships with local reporters.
“I think the line items will help,” Williams said. “You show, ‘It will take 10 hours to translate these documents. I’m going to pay this person $30 per hour. That equals $300.’ Kind of go through it like you would your home budget.”
Depending on the publication and the funding opportunity, you may also need to include a line item for your salary, as not all publications will pay reporters directly for publishing their work.
“We are seeing outlets that say, ‘We’ll happily give you a platform to publish your story, but we can’t pay you,’ and that is really disappointing,” Walker Guevara said. “In some cases, what we tell freelancers is, when you apply, if you are not going to be paid — or if there’s this big gap — make the case in the application. Sometimes we can honor it, or we can at least honor part of it. Sometimes we can’t. And we still hope and try to work with outlets so they do their part, because philanthropy cannot take over everything. That’s not the way that the media industry should work.”
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