We seek applications for our reporting initiative focused on the systems, organizations, and people that destabilize countries, erode democracies, and enable corruption. We value cross-border and collaborative reporting, data-driven projects, and innovative, interdisciplinary approaches.

How to Apply
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GRANT OVERVIEW

This grant is open to freelance and staff journalists worldwide.

Pulitzer Center grantees report on shadowy finance schemes, mismanagement, abuse of power, and other systemic exploits and failures that destabilize countries, erode democracies and governance, and empty national coffers. They investigate the root causes of corruption, including the laws and policies that provide cover to otherwise immoral activities.

We are actively seeking to support deep reporting projects that follow the money across borders; shed light on opaque and harmful supply chains; and investigate the systems, organizations, and people that enable corruption. You can apply for a Transparency and Governance grant or propose your project via one of our yearlong investigative fellowships on Rainforests, Oceans, and AI. We value cross-border and collaborative reporting, data-driven projects, and innovative, interdisciplinary approaches.

In recent years, the Pulitzer Center has invested in several in-depth, high-impact reporting projects related to transparency and governance. Here are a few examples for inspiration:

To see all of our Transparency & Governance coverage, please visit our initiative page.

TO APPLY, YOU WILL BE ASKED TO PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING:

  • A description of the proposed project in no more than 250 words (you can also attach a longer project description or reporting plan as “Additional Materials”); 
  • A preliminary budget estimate, including a basic breakdown of costs; 
  • A compelling distribution plan

This opportunity is open and we are accepting applications. Please review our grant application guidelines and apply today. If you have specific questions about applying, please contact [email protected].

We aim to support teams that reflect the communities they report on. We hope this grant can help our partner organizations advance their diversity, equity, and inclusion goals and commitments. We accept grant proposals on a rolling basis. You typically will hear back from us one-two weeks after submitting your application.

We particularly welcome applications from the Global South and seek reporting from Africa, Latin America and South and South East Asia. We are also interested in receiving proposals for collaborative reporting projects by teams of reporters investigating corruption, transparency, and governance issues.

Distribution: Proposals should include detailed distribution plans and letters of commitment from outlets where the stories will be published. The Pulitzer Center also encourages creative forms of content distribution and audience engagement beyond story publication. If you have ideas and strategies for engaging diverse audiences with your reporting project, please include them in our proposal submission form.

WHAT WE DON'T FUND

To save our grantees and staff time, we thought it would be helpful to outline editorial products and project expenses we don’t fund:

  • Books (we can support a story that might become part of a book, as long as the story is published independently in a media outlet) 
  • Feature-length films (we do support short documentaries with ambitious distribution plans) 
  • Staff salaries (with the exception of some of our yearlong fellowships)
  • Equipment purchases (equipment rentals are considered on a case-by-case basis) 
  • An outlet’s general expenses (for example, rent, utilities, insurance) 
  • Seed money for start-ups
  • Routine breaking news and coverage 
  • Advocacy campaigns 
  • Data projects aimed solely at academic research. Data should be developed to enhance/support journalism.
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