Regular Grants & Seed Grants

The Fund for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) is a private nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting independent investigative journalists whose work seeks to expose wrongdoing and hold powerful institutions accountable. FIJ's mission is to promote the practice of watchdog journalism by funding in-depth, unbiased reporting that otherwise might not be possible due to financial barriers. Through its grant programs, FIJ empowers journalists to pursue stories that have a significant public interest, spanning the public and private sectors. FIJ offers two types of grants to support investigative work: regular grants and seed grants. Regular grants provide up to $10,000 to support the completion of fully developed investigative journalism projects. These funds may cover travel costs, fees for accessing records, data analysis, and journalist compensation. Seed grants, capped at $2,500, are designed to support the early stages of investigative projects. These smaller awards help freelance journalists conduct preliminary research and reporting to develop stories that may later be supported by full FIJ grants or other funding. To apply for a regular grant, journalists must present a compelling investigative proposal, a preliminary summary of findings, a detailed plan of investigation, and a clear budget for how grant funds will be spent. A requirement for regular grant eligibility is a letter of commitment from a media outlet agreeing to publish or broadcast the final story. Seed grant applicants are not required to have a publication commitment. Instead, they must submit a short narrative describing the story idea and outlining anticipated early-stage expenses. All proposals are evaluated by FIJ’s Board of Directors, which is composed of accomplished journalists with deep experience in investigative reporting. The Board reviews submissions to assess their investigative merit, feasibility, and potential public impact. For regular grants, successful applicants receive the funds in two installments: half at the project’s inception and the remainder upon publication. In contrast, seed grants are distributed in full at the outset. The application portal, instructions, and FAQs for both grant types are available on FIJ’s website (www.fij.org). The current application deadlines are September 9 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern for regular grants and September 20 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern for seed grants. Applicants can expect to be notified of the funding decision by mid-November. FIJ accepts applications from across the United States and considers proposals covering any subject matter that adheres to investigative principles. For questions or further information, applicants may contact the Fund for Investigative Journalism via email at fij@fij.org. Physical mail may be directed to their Washington, DC office at 1100 13th St., NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20005, or their New York mailing address at Old Chelsea Station, P.O. Box 1205, New York, NY 10113.