Flipping through the latest issue of the Columbia Journalism Review, I saw an ad for the annual Kaiser Media Fellowships in Health. Six of the nine journalists and documentary filmmakers who received this year’s awards were freelancers or independent film producers.
That in and of itself is cause to stand up and cheer. It underscores the fact that independent writers are out there doing important work, work that is being recognized by some of the country’s best-known journalism educators.
But it’s the exception rather than the rule. Why don’t more freelancers go after grants and fellowships? Is it because we’re all too busy pitching stories and chasing deadlines to take the time to apply? On a message board for freelancers I subscribe to, one writer recently shared that she’d received an all-expenses paid fellowship to study health-care reporting at the University of Southern California, but only because an editor she works for urged her to apply.
Not applying for fellowships and grants is short-sighted. For freelancers who want to specialize, there’s no better way than attending an intensive course to get up to speed on a subject, cultivate sources and brainstorm story ideas.
I will predict this: If established independent writers don’t take advantage of these opportunities, they’ll lose out to all those recently departed daily newspaper reporters and editors now joining the freelance ranks, journalists who come from newspapers that routinely submitted their work for awards and put them up for fellowships. Don’t let them beat you to it.
If you’re interested in applying for journalism fellowships and grants, here are a few sources:
JournalismJobs.com’s listing of U.S. journalism fellowships
The USC Annenberg/California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships
good to see this, thank you
As a self-employed writer, I would *love* to apply for a fellowship, but as a mother and wife, my life simply doesn’t allow for me to pick up and move for six months. Maybe this is something for me to consider in my empty-nest years (which begin in 2015). Sigh.
Leah: I can relate, as I too juggle business and motherhood. But it doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition. The freelance writer I mentioned in the post got a fellowship that will bring her to USC for two weekends. And the way I see it, anybody can piece together child care to do two weekends, even if you have to barter with fellow working moms.
True confessions: I’m just as guilty as the next person in ignoring this opportunity, so I wrote the post in part to motivate myself.
Michelle R.
Sounds like I need to look at different kinds of fellowships, such as those that offer weekend-only opportunities. I wonder if there are any on the East Coast…
I’d add that even it you don’t get the fellowship — which I have not, yet– some of the ones which require project proposals are a good way of taking a look at your interests and goals, and working on a book proposal. as you might expect, those are the ones which take a bit of time to prepare, of course.
in addition to fellowships, you might look into residencies. some come with funds, some require payments. they are of all lengths and in all sorts of locations/organizations. pw.org is a place to start, also artistcommunities.org.
Great suggestions Kerry.
Michelle R.
Nice blog, Michelle! I really want to pay more attention to this subject.
I see you live in Portland, too– I’ll probably be moving there one of these years.
Michelle,
This is a wonderful blog and a very helpful article. I am going to refer folks to it from my own Freelancing for Newspapers blog.
I’m especially interested in the discussion with Leah about not being able to leave for long periods of time. I have the same problem and assumed I couldn’t do most fellowships, so I’ll be looking at the alternatives, too. Thanks for this.
Sue
This is a great post. As someone coming from an academic background, I’m used to applying to grants and fellowships. Perhaps a good post for your blog would be writers’ grant writing resources?
Good idea Stephanie. I’ll put that on my list of things to blog about.
MVR
Being a Journalism graduate, I find this article interesting, enlightening, and encouraging. I couldn’t agree more with the “don’t let them beat you to it” thought. That simple idea can serve as an enormous inspiration and motivation to many journalists out there. Since journalists are the ones who transmit important messages to the public, it will certainly be helpful for them to pursue such grants, scholarships, and fellowships to sharpen their skills. I believe that all of us need constant self-improvement, but opportunities are often hard to find. Thankfully, the article manages to provide a bunch of links that can be considered a good scholarship finder for all freelancers.