Application is now open for the McGraw Center Fellowship for Business Journalism. Interested applicants are encouraged to send their applications in before the deadline date.
About McGraw Center for Business Journalism and the Fellowship
The Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Center for Business Journalism’s goal is to improve the breadth and quality of news coverage of business and economic issues. The Center was established in January 2014 at the City University of New York’s Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism to support seasoned business journalists and instruct aspiring young journalists. The Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Family Foundation donated $3 million toward its cost.
You’ve got a great idea for a high-impact narrative that “Follows the Money,” but you don’t have the money to make it happen. If you have any questions, please contact the McGraw Fellowship for Business Journalism.
The Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Center for Business Journalism awards up to $15,000 to seasoned journalists, along with the editorial support necessary to publish in-depth enterprise and investigative articles that examine significant economic, financial, or corporate challenges across a variety of themes. To apply, you don’t need to cover business; many of their previous Fellows were generalists or focused on beats like health care, education, or the environment. Others have concentrated on topics like corporate responsibility or economic injustice.
They take into account submissions in all media types, including text, audio, photos, and short-form video, from both staff and freelance journalists, and they encourage those that mix formats to produce a multimedia package. They also seek out initiatives that tackle fascinating national or international stories, cover under-reported areas or situations, or center on significant local or regional themes. It is highly recommended that journalists of color and those with various backgrounds apply.
Details about McGraw Center Fellowship for Business Journalism:
Scholarship Sponsor: McGraw Center for Business Journalism, USA
Scholarship Value: Up to $15,000
Number of awards: N/A
Study level: Fellowship
Host Institution(s): McGraw Center for Business Journalism, USA
Benefits:
Each initiative may receive a grant from the Fellowship of up to $15,000. The precise sum will be determined by how long it takes to execute the job and by the costs involved. Some of the funds may be used by freelance journalists as a stipend for living costs during the Fellowship. The center want people with a track record of successfully reporting and carrying out challenging projects in the medium they have chosen; ideally, candidates will also have a solid foundation in reporting expertise on the topic of their project.
The McGraw Center oversees the editorial direction of the Fellowship. They work together with the Fellows to develop their projects during the reporting process, and they frequently edit the final products. In addition, they support publication of the works in respectable print, audio, or digital platforms. The tales are also published on the McGraw Center website. They may be found on the Fellowship Stories page.
Eligibility Criteria for McGraw Center Fellowship for Business Journalism
Anyone with at least five years of professional journalism experience is eligible to apply for the McGraw Fellowship for Business Journalism. In addition to reporters and editors who are already employed by news organizations or media non-profits, the center also encourage freelance journalism. In the latter scenario, journalists and editors may immediately apply under the name of their company.
Interview Date, and Process for McGraw Center Fellowship for Business Journalism
Applications are accepted by the center twice a year. September 30, 2023, is the application date for the Fall 2023 Fellowships. The deadline for applications for the spring 2024 fellowships is March 31, 2024. Outside of the deadline times, the center will also consider time-sensitive assignments on an individual basis. Please get in touch with the center at mcgrawcenter@journalism.cuny.edu if you are working on a project that could be eligible.
Which types of narratives do the center support? Here are a few samples of the work done by some former Fellows:
- Pandemic, prosecutions aside, bribery persists in Chinese hospitals 100Reporters
- The promise and perils of the new fertility Entrepreneurs NewYorker.com
- Hurricane fallout creates financial ruin for Puerto Rico’s seniors with reverse mortgages USA Today and the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo
- The Problem with PLUS: How parents buckle under the weight of college debt US News & World Report
- New Workers of the World: Capturing the voices of workers facing unprecedented change Bloomberg Businessweek
- Two Nations, One Aquifer: A series about water at the border Albuquerque Journal
- Company insiders are selling stock during buybacks and making additional profits when stock prices jump. And it’s legal. Washington Post
- How Long Until Alaska’s Next Oil Disaster? TheAtlantic.com
- Who Killed Overtime Pay? Capital & Main
- Toxic Churn: How the legacy of former industrial sites pollutes American cities today Grist.org
- Promised debt relief, some Black farmers get collection notices Center for Public Integrity
- Child labor in the palm oil industry linked to Girl Scout cookies Associated Press
Application Process for McGraw Center Fellowship for Business Journalism
The online application form must be completed by applicants, and they must also send a well-focused, three-page narrative idea. Consider it a pitch, similar to one you might make to an editor at a newspaper, magazine, radio, or digital outlet: provide the center with enough initial reporting and supporting evidence to show that the story is credible. The proposal should highlight the innovative and notable elements of the work as well as its relevance and potential outcomes. Additionally, the proposal should state where pertinent pieces on the topic have already appeared and how it differs from other stories. Applicants should also include a rough estimate of the article’s completion date as well as a suggested reporting style.
Even though you are not required to have a media source ready before applying, if you do, please indicate it in your proposal. Additionally, candidates must provide three examples of their journalism. The works you include as samples should be professionally published pieces that show off your ability to convey a complicated story in the indicated media.
Send your most current CV as well. No references are required at the time of submission; however, those who are chosen as finalists will be required to submit recommendations from two editors or other persons familiar with their work. Candidates for freelancing who are unable to get references might think about finding a solution with the McGraw Center.
The Application Deadline is: March 31, 2024
Not interested in this particular scholarship? See other USA scholarships here.