Pulitzer Center Update August 10, 2026
Applications Open: 2026 Pulitzer Center Teacher Fellowship “Examining Interconnected Health Inequities Through Global Reporting”
From climate change to social justice, Pulitzer Center journalism cuts to the core of the world’s biggest challenges by exploring key issues that connect us all. Over the past five years, over 100 educators who have participated in our Teacher Fellowship program have extended the impact of Pulitzer Center stories by engaging over 10,000 students with reporting that deepens their critical understanding of global issues and inspires them to meet global and local challenges with curiosity, empathy, and empowered action.
This fall, Teacher Fellows will explore the following theme:
Examining Interconnected Health Inequities Through Global Reporting
As part of this paid, virtual Fellowship, a cohort of up to 12 educators will explore underreported global health stories with award-winning journalists and the Pulitzer Center education team over the course of five workshops. Teachers will analyze how global health news stories from Africa, Asia, and Latin America engage students in critical analysis of interconnected health inequities, encourage students to make local and personal connections, and empower students to apply their learning through civic engagement.
Ultimately, educators will design a rigorous learning experience that centers at least one of the listed global health news stories and culminates in a civic engagement activity that demonstrates a meaningful local connection to a global issue. Participants will share the results of this learning experience by publishing a narrative blog post and an accompanying lesson plan that captures student learning, engagement, and empowered action.
Applications are due Sunday, September 1, 2026
Upon successful completion of the program, Fellows will be provided with:
- $600 stipend (made in two payments of $300 disbursed in November 2026 and December 2026)
- Pulitzer Center Teacher Fellow digital badge
- Certificate for 30 professional learning units (PLUs)
If you have questions after reading the eligibility requirements and Fellowship details below, please reach out to us at [email protected].
The Pulitzer Center is committed to making real, measurable progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion in all of our programs and partnerships. Please review our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement for more information on our commitments. Educators from historically marginalized backgrounds, and/or educators who are teaching students from historically marginalized backgrounds, are strongly encouraged to apply.
Eligibility Requirements:
This Fellowship is open to all classroom teachers (grades four–12) working in public, charter, independent, and alternative schools in the United States and U.S. territories. Educators working with adults and youth in jails, prisons, or youth detention facilities are also encouraged to apply. Applicants must be currently teaching virtually or in person, and plan to continue teaching in their current school at least through the end of the 2026–2027 school year.
Because all sessions will be held virtually, applicants must have stable internet access and a computer with a webcam and microphone.
Fellowship Description:
Fellows will practice applying a media literacy lens to global health news stories through text analysis, group discussion, and engagement with journalists who utilize a myriad of storytelling methods to cover global health topics. Through this examination of global health policies, health system failures, and common barriers to quality care, Fellows will strengthen the skills to ask critical questions, make informed connections, and dissect systemic health issues. The full range of global health topics includes: disparities in health care access, the impacts of global aid and policies, reproductive health, vaccine equity, socio-economic and racial equality, pharmaceutical practices, health research and innovation, and community-driven solutions.
Throughout the program, Fellows will apply their learning to the classroom context, developing ways to inspire broader classroom discussions about health through news media. Teachers will design a short learning experience (one to three class periods) that centers at least one global health story and culminates in a civic engagement activity. Teachers will be responsible for documenting student learning in a narrative blog or a lesson plan with embedded student examples. In their lesson design, educators will explore how underreported news stories on global health inequalities can impact society in critical ways.
Guiding questions:
- How do changes in global aid policies amplify inequalities and impact countries managing health care crises?
- How do individual health outcomes reflect the impact of larger systemic issues (i.e., climate change, migration, human rights) in communities?
- How can reporting on global health system failures and solutions empower students, communities, and local governments to find solutions to the challenges most relevant to their context?
- How can critical analysis of news stories about health inequities equip students to play an active role in their individual and community health outcomes?
The Fellowship will launch on Saturday, September 19, 2026, and conclude on Wednesday, December 9, 2026.
While the exact amount of time spent by each Fellow will depend on his or her classes and projects, we anticipate the Fellowship time commitment to be about 30 hours. This includes participation in virtual workshops, project design, implementation, and evaluation.
Key Dates:
- Orientation: Saturday, September 19, 2026, 11:30am-4:30 pm ET
- Workshop 1: Wednesday, September 23, 2026, 6:00pm-8:00pm ET
- Workshop 2: Wednesday, September 30, 2026, 6:00pm-8:00pm ET
- Workshop 3: Wednesday, October 7, 2026, 6:00pm-8:00pm ET
- Workshop 4: Wednesday, October 14, 2026, 6:00pm-8:00pm ET
- Workshop 5: Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 6:00pm-8:00pm ET
- Implementation of lesson plan: October 21-November 23, 2026
- Closing: Wednesday, December 9, 2026, 6:00pm-8:00pm ET
Deliverables and Fellowship Payments:
- Week of October 26, 2026: Process first payment of $300 upon completion of first five workshops
- Tuesday, November 24, 2026: Final deliverables due
- Week of November 30, 2026: Process second payment of $300 upon review of lesson plan and blog post
If you have additional questions, please contact us by emailing [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!
Learn more about past Teacher Fellows and their work here and read lessons and reflections from teachers in our 2025 Global Health Fellowship here.
Review a list of global health reporting curated for this year’s cohort.
