Fellowships & Scholarships
IRE offers numerous fellowships and scholarships each year, thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and donors. Assistance typically includes a one-year IRE membership/renewal and the program registration fee.
Note: Eligibility for IRE fellowships and scholarships renews every three years. For example, if you received a fellowship in 2024, you will be eligible again in 2027.
Bootcamp fellowships
Applications for 2026 Data Journalism Bootcamps are now open. Apply by Dec. 6, 2025
Ottaway Fellowships — Journalists, educators and students of color, those who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, and/or those with disabilities are eligible to apply.
Holly Whisenhunt Stephen Fellowships — TV and/or radio journalists are eligible to apply.
R-CAR Fellowship — U.S. professional journalists working for small news organizations with a significant rural audience and demonstrated rural readership, and freelance journalists serving rural communities.
Conference fellowships
The following fellowships have their own unique applications. Think you'd be a fit for more than one fellowship below? Great! We'll make sure you're considered for as many awards as possible.
- Applications for our next conference, AccessFest, will open in July.
Eric B. Sager Scholarships — U.S. journalists and independent journalists are eligible. Journalists from trade publications and small outlets are encouraged to apply. These scholarships provide assistance to attend the IRE, NICAR or AccessFest Conference.
Godfrey Wells Stancill Fellowships — U.S. journalists working for a newspaper with a Sunday circulation of under 50,000. These fellowships provide assistance to attend the IRE Conference.
Diversity Fellowships — Journalists, educators and students of color, those who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, and/or those with disabilities are eligible to apply. These fellowships provide assistance to attend the IRE, NICAR or AccessFest Conference.
Napoli Management Group TV Scholarships — U.S. early-career (five or fewer years of post-college work experience) TV journalists interested in investigative reporting. These fellowships provide assistance to attend the IRE Conference.
Gary Marx Scholarships — U.S. college journalism students and early-career journalists (five years post-college graduation). Preference will be given to applicants from Illinois. These scholarships provide assistance to attend the IRE, NICAR or AccessFest Conference.
Jennifer Leonard Scholarships — Women of modest means who are college journalism students or early-career professional journalists (three years or less of post-college work experience). Women of color and trans women are encouraged to apply. These scholarships provide assistance to attend the IRE, NICAR or AccessFest Conference.
James Richard Bennett Scholarships — Journalism students in Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma or Louisiana. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville students are not eligible. These scholarships provide assistance to attend the IRE or NICAR Conference.
David Donald Fellowships for Data Journalism — Journalism educators who teach data journalism and investigative reporting. These fellowships provide assistance to attend the NICAR Conference or an IRE Data Journalism Bootcamp.
Additional Fellowships
The Chauncey Bailey Journalist of Color Investigative Reporting Fellowship
Named in honor of the late Chauncey Bailey, this investigative reporting fellowship is intended to prepare and support a journalist of color for a solid career in investigative reporting. The yearlong program provides assistance to attend an IRE Data Journalism Bootcamp, the NICAR Conference and the IRE Conference.
As part of the program, fellows also work on an investigative reporting project benefiting their communities, while receiving IRE data services, mentorship, and support. Applications will open each year in May.
Freelance Fellowship
IRE's Freelance Fellowship supports nonfiction projects which demonstrate impact, breadth and significance. It is intended to support journalists who make their living primarily as freelancers and need assistance in conducting investigative projects. Applications will open each year in July.
Koch Continuum Grant in Public Health and Disability Investigative Reporting
This grant supports journalists pursuing an investigative reporting project on public health and/or disability issues. It offers a $10,000 cash award and assistance to attend the IRE Conference. The application deadline has passed.
David Dietz Fellowship
This fellowship supports journalists and independent journalists with less than 10 years’ professional experience and a demonstrated interest in financial investigative journalism who have a financial need for assistance. It provides assistance to attend the IRE Conference. The application deadline has passed.
R-CAR Fellowship
This fellowship supports U.S. professional journalists working for small news organizations with a significant rural audience and demonstrated rural readership, and freelance journalists serving rural communities. It provides assistance to attend an IRE Data Journalism Bootcamp. The application deadline is May 6, 2025.
Mike Levine Journalism Education Fund
This fellowship supports journalists with less than five years of experience working in daily or weekly print news organizations or digital-only news outlets. The fund is dedicated to helping journalists pursue “the news of the day with the compassion and craft that became the hallmark of Mike’s work.” It provides assistance to attend the IRE Conference. The application deadline has passed.
Tips for applying
- Get email reminders. Sign up for our Quick Hits newsletter, and we’ll notify you every time a fellowship deadline is approaching.
- Keep applying. These awards are highly competitive, so don’t get discouraged if you’re not selected. Save your materials and re-apply the next time we take applications.
If you have questions or need more information about fellowships, please contact fellowships@ire.org.
Support a fellowship
Do you want to pay it forward by donating to an existing fellowship or scholarship? Make a donation. Please note the name in the online form. Are you interested in creating a new fellowship or scholarship? Contact fellowships@ire.org.