ProPublica Local Reporting Network Fellowship

ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network helps produce vital, investigative journalism in communities where such stories would otherwise not be done.

For these partnerships, ProPublica will will reimburse the news organization for the salary of the selected reporter (up to $80,000 plus a benefits stipend). These will be selected on a rolling basis, with spring, summer and fall cohorts of five projects each.

Strong applications will express why the project needs to be told in your community — ProPublica is eager for projects that can’t be done anywhere else. They will also explain how the project would benefit from this collaboration, potentially including the role that ProPublica’s data, research and engagement reporting resources could play, and they will discuss how the project may resonate with both local and national audiences.

Once accepted, local reporters will work from and report to their home newsrooms while receiving extensive support and guidance for their work from ProPublica, including collaboration with a senior editor and access to the nonprofit newsroom’s expertise. The work will be published or broadcast by your newsroom and simultaneously by ProPublica.

Applications for all 15 projects are open now and will be considered on a rolling basis using the deadlines below. ProPublica will select five fellows for each round:

  • Summer cohort
    • Application deadline: Rolling, no later than May 1, 2026.
    • Open to: Newsrooms in the states listed as eligible through our 50 State Initiative.
    • Fellowships dates: July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.
  • Fall cohort
    • Application deadline: Rolling, no later than Aug. 3, 2026.
    • Open to: Newsrooms in the remaining states listed as eligible through our 50 State Initiative. (Note: This list of states will be updated in July 2025.)
    • Fellowship dates: Oct. 1, 2026, through Sept. 30, 2027.

Opportunity offered by:

ProPublica

Online application form
Contact for application information
Opportunity type

Fellowship
Grant

Location(s) where available

Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
new york

Maximum grant amount

$80000

Areas of focus

Accountability
Investigative

Applications accepted starting:
February 6, 2026
Application deadline:
May 1, 2026