The goal is to promote diversity in journalism by helping to create a pipeline of investigative reporters of color. The one-year fellowship will provide four emerging reporters with the opportunity to complete their first substantial piece of investigative reporting.
A call for applications is available now. Applications must be submitted online. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2017.
Named after the pioneering African-American investigative reporter, the Ida B. Wells Fellowship was launched to promote diversity in journalism by helping to create a pipeline of investigative reporters of color.
The Ida B. Wells Fellowship provides four reporters each year with a $10,000 stipend and access to an Investigative Fund editor who will advise them throughout the process of producing their first substantial work of investigative reporting. The one-year fellowship also covers travel and other reporting costs associated with the project and the costs of attending the annual Investigative Reporters and Editors conference. Each fellow will enjoy access to research resources, legal counsel, professional mentoring, and assistance with story placement. The fellowship is a one-time educational opportunity and is non-renewable.
Journalists of color are strongly encouraged to apply, as are other reporters who believe their presence would contribute to diversifying the field of investigative reporting. The fellowship is open to entry-level or mid-career journalists, recent journalism school graduates, journalism students or journalism interns, as well as reporters in other fields seeking to pivot to investigative reporting. Applicants may be freelance or on the staff of a media organization.