The Fund for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) runs one of the longest-standing grant programs in American journalism, supporting reporters working on stories that expose wrongdoing and information that's been hidden or unknown. It's worth a close look even if you're based outside the US, because of the range of support on offer. FIJ runs four funding tracks, Regular Grants, Seed Grants, Follow-Up Grants, and the larger Alicia Patterson Fellowship, each built for a different stage of an investigation. But there's a catch that determines who this is really for: every program requires a strong United States angle and publication in a US outlet, in English. This isn't a general international journalism fund. It's for stories tied to American citizens, government, or business, so an African journalist working on something that intersects with US interests, corporate accountability, government dealings, diaspora communities, could be a fit. A purely domestic African story would not.
The Four Funding Tracks at a Glance
Seed Grants fund the earliest, riskiest stage of an investigation, when you have a tip or a hunch but haven't confirmed there's a real story yet. Regular Grants pick up once that story is confirmed and ready for full reporting. Follow-Up Grants are for journalists who already completed a Regular Grant project and need smaller funding for a shorter follow-up piece after the original story runs. The Alicia Patterson Fellowship sits apart from the other three, a larger, longer-term award for experienced reporters doing a sustained, in-depth written investigation over six or twelve months.
Regular Grants
Regular Grants provide up to $10,000 for reporting expenses on investigative stories in any medium: print, online, television, radio, documentary film, podcast, or book. They cover travel, records fees, research, equipment rental, and compensation for your own time. Applications are reviewed three times a year, spring, summer, and fall, with 2026 deadlines on January 30, April 27, and September 14, all at 11:59 pm ET. Decisions arrive about six weeks after each deadline, once FIJ's Board of Directors has reviewed and voted on every eligible proposal.
Payment comes in two installments, half when your proposal is approved, the rest once your story is published. Plan your cash flow accordingly, since you won't have the full amount upfront.
Seed Grants
Seed Grants provide $1,000 to $2,500 for preliminary reporting, the early-stage work that tells you whether a hunch is actually a story. This covers open-records requests and initial reporting trips to find and interview sources. Unlike Regular Grants, the full Seed Grant amount is paid upfront, which fits how exploratory this funding is meant to be. Once you've completed preliminary reporting under a Seed Grant and secured a publication commitment from a media outlet, you can apply for a full Regular Grant on the same topic, up to $10,000. Seed Grant deadlines follow the same three-times-a-year schedule as Regular Grants.
Follow-Up Grants
Follow-Up Grants offer up to $2,500 for journalists who already received a Regular Grant and need funding for a shorter follow-up story after their original investigation ran. Unlike Regular and Seed Grants, these are reviewed on a rolling basis, and you'll typically get a decision within about a month. The same rolling review applies if you're moving from a Seed Grant into a full Regular Grant proposal on the same story, so you don't have to wait for the next quarterly deadline.
The Alicia Patterson Fellowship
This is FIJ's biggest award, and it runs on different terms than the three grants above. It supports sustained, in-depth written reporting, print or online only, unlike the other grants which cover multiple formats. Six-month fellowships pay $20,000, twelve-month fellowships pay $40,000, paid monthly throughout the fellowship. Applications for the 2027 cycle are due October 1, 2026, with decisions by year's end and fellowships starting in early 2027.
The fellowship dates back to 1965, named for Alicia Patterson, founding editor and publisher of Newsday and the first woman to run a major US newspaper. At the end of 2025, the Alicia Patterson Foundation merged into FIJ, which now administers the program directly.
This one's built for experienced reporters. There's no strict minimum years required, but FIJ is clear it's not for journalists without an existing body of in-depth reporting behind them. Fellows can work part-time during the fellowship but can't hold another full-time job at the same time, and staff journalists may apply if they plan to take leave for the fellowship period. Over a full year, fellows need to produce at least four written articles, or two for a six-month fellowship.
Eligibility Across All Programs
A few rules run through everything FIJ funds. Most applicants are freelancers, though nonprofit news outlets seeking help with investigation-related expenses can also apply. FIJ specifically encourages proposals from journalists of color. And critically, foreign-based story proposals need a genuinely strong US angle, involving American citizens, government, or business, published in English in a US-based outlet. That single requirement is what determines whether this is realistically accessible to most African journalists, unless your reporting intersects with American interests or institutions.
Required Documents (Regular and Seed Grants)
Regular Grant applications need a brief project summary, a full written proposal, a detailed budget, a resume, work samples, two references, and a letter of commitment from a media outlet confirming they'll publish the story.
Seed Grant applications ask for a resume, two work samples, an optional letter of recommendation, a one-paragraph project summary, a longer narrative on the potential story and your planned preliminary reporting, an explanation of why you think there's a story worth pursuing, a detailed cost breakdown for preliminary reporting expenses, and a brief note on what other reporting has already been done on the subject.
Required Documents (Alicia Patterson Fellowship)
This one asks for more, given the size of the award. You'll need a written proposal, no more than three pages, single-spaced, explaining how you'd use the fellowship and summarizing the four articles you'd write. Also an applicant bio, no more than two pages, on your journalistic background and career plans, a detailed budget covering reporting and living expenses along with your actual 2025 income and expected 2026 income, three work samples, a list of published work and prior awards or fellowships, and two references who can speak to your work.
What Makes a Strong Proposal
FIJ is direct about what its Board of Directors looks for, and it comes down to five questions. What makes this genuinely investigative, meaning what hidden wrongdoing would your reporting expose, and who or what would you be holding accountable? What have you already found, and how specific can you be about it? What's your actual plan for tracking down more information, records, interviews, documents? What would your investigation uncover that's genuinely new, not already publicly available, and can you back that up with a real search of existing coverage? And why are you the right person for this story, based on your background and experience?
Budget Guidance
FIJ wants a specific, itemized budget, not a vague estimate. Real numbers for travel, document fees, and equipment rental (not purchase), with an explanation of how you arrived at each figure. These grants won't cover office space rental, office supplies, equipment purchases, production costs, or distribution and promotion expenses. If you're getting other funding for the same project, disclose it in a note at the end of your budget.
Application Process
- Figure out which grant fits your project's stage: Seed for preliminary reporting, Regular for a confirmed investigative story, Follow-Up if you already completed a Regular Grant project, or the Alicia Patterson Fellowship for sustained long-form work.
- Confirm your story has a genuine, strong US angle and will be published in English in a US outlet.
- Write your proposal, answering FIJ's five key questions clearly.
- Assemble your required documents, budget, work samples, references, and (for Regular Grants) a letter of commitment from a publisher.
- Submit through the official application portal at investigate.submittable.com/submit.
- For Regular and Seed Grants, submit before the relevant 2026 deadline: September 14.
- For the Alicia Patterson Fellowship, submit before October 1, 2026.
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Major Considerations
A few rules matter before you invest time in an application. FIJ doesn't accept resubmissions of previously declined proposals unless specifically invited to resubmit, and generally doesn't accept multiple proposals from the same applicant in one grant cycle, except in rare cases that require emailing the Fund directly.
Everything you submit is treated as confidential, shared with no one outside FIJ's board and staff, and used only to make a grant decision, which matters given how much sensitive preliminary reporting detail some applications require. And be realistic about the US-angle requirement upfront. It's likely the biggest filter on whether this is accessible to you, more than experience level or story quality alone.
Should You Apply
This fits freelance journalists, including those based outside the US, with a genuinely investigative story that has a real, defensible American angle and a realistic path to publication in a US outlet. The Alicia Patterson Fellowship suits seasoned reporters with an established body of in-depth written work who can commit to six or twelve months of sustained reporting. It's not for journalists whose stories are purely domestic with no meaningful US connection, since that requirement runs through every program FIJ offers.
Disclaimer: Youth Gateway Africa shares these scholarships, fellowships, and grants for informational purposes only. We are not affiliated with, nor do we represent or owe any obligations on behalf of these external organizations. While we strive for accuracy, opportunities can change. Please exercise caution, verify details independently, and take full responsibility for your applications.
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