Ida B. Wells Fellowship 2023/2024 for Journalists in the U.S. (up to $25,000)


Deadline: March 12, 2023

Applications for the Ida B. Wells Fellowship 2023/2024 are now open. The Ida B. Wells Fellowship, founded in 2016, promotes diversity in journalism by helping to create a pipeline of investigative reporters who come from underrepresented backgrounds, and bring those experiences, perspectives, and interests to their work.

The one-year fellowship helps reporters complete their first substantial work of investigative reporting by providing a $25,000 award and intensive mentoring from dedicated editors at Type Investigations. Fellows will also receive funds to cover travel and other reporting costs, and the costs associated with attending the annual Investigative Reporters and Editors conference, as well as an online data reporting boot camp. They will also enjoy access to research resources, legal assistance, and assistance with story placement and publicity.

Type Investigations holds an annual competition in the spring to select the fellows, who will be expected to publish or air their findings in a U.S. media outlet within one year of the start of the fellowship. The Ida B. Wells Fellowship is a one-time educational opportunity and is non-renewable.

Awards

  • The fellowship provides a $25,000 award and intensive mentoring from dedicated editors at Type Investigations.

Eligibility

  • Open to journalists in the U.S. Journalists of color are strongly encouraged to apply, as are other reporters who believe their presence would contribute substantially to diversifying investigative reporting in other ways.
  • You must apply with an investigative story proposal. While the proposal can focus on a story you’ve worked on (in fact, you should have done basic research and understand the issues at play relating to the story you want to tell), they won’t accept proposals for which most of the reporting and writing has been completed.

Application

The deadline for the 2023/24 application is Sunday, March 12 at 11:59pm EST. Note that Daylight Saving Time starts on March 12 and submit your application at least an hour prior to the deadline in case you experience technical issues. Late applications will not be accepted.

You will be alerted at the beginning of April if your application has been moved along to the semi-finalist round. If your application is selected for that round, you will be asked to provide two letters of recommendation at that time. Staff reporters will also be asked to submit a letter of support from their editor. Finalists will be interviewed in April, and fellows will be chosen in May. The fellowship begins June 1, 2023 and ends May 31, 2024.

Click here to apply

For more information, visit Ida B. Wells Fellowship.