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Fellowships & Grants

Knight-Risser Prize for Western Environmental Journalism

JSK Journalism Fellowships at Stanford

"Good environmental journalism changes things. It puts a name to what was once invisible, and makes people care about places and problems they might never otherwise encounter. This is the idea behind the Knight-Risser Prize. And after a decade of recognizing outstanding published work, we’re doing something different: Starting in 2026, the prize will help fund the reporting before it happens. "Up to $10,000 is available to support an enterprise or investigative environmental story set in the western United States, which is defined as all states west of the Mississippi River, including Hawaii and Alaska. "The Knight-Risser prize is open to reporters, photographers, radio and audio journalists, television and video journalists, and documentary filmmakers working in the United States." Deadline: June 2, 2026.
Fellowships & Grants

Knight-Risser Prize for Western Environmental Journalism

Summary:
"Good environmental journalism changes things. It puts a name to what was once invisible, and makes people care about places and problems they might never otherwise encounter. This is the idea behind the Knight-Risser Prize. And after a decade of recognizing outstanding published work, we’re doing something different: Starting in 2026, the prize will help fund the reporting before it happens. "Up to $10,000 is available to support an enterprise or investigative environmental story set in the western United States, which is defined as all states west of the Mississippi River, including Hawaii and Alaska. "The Knight-Risser prize is open to reporters, photographers, radio and audio journalists, television and video journalists, and documentary filmmakers working in the United States." Deadline: June 2, 2026.
Organization:

JSK Journalism Fellowships at Stanford

Category:
For:
VISIT
Workshop

Invasive Annual Grass Journalist Workshop

"By many standards, invasive annual grasses and rangeland fires are the most significant threats to western landscapes. Land managers and conservationists are racing to implement effective treatments to get ahead of this massive land health issue before it becomes insurmountable due to scale and cost. The Intermountain West Joint Venture is hosting an event for journalists to make a deep dive into this complex issue. This workshop will be a fully on-the-record opportunity for journalists to learn from speakers, ask questions, collect imagery, and have hands-on experiences. We hope all participants will build a strong understanding of the topics to be able to report effectively on them and grow the base of people they can reach out to on these natural resource issues."
  • When: June 2-4, 2026
  • Where: Thermopolis, Wyoming
  • A limited number of travel scholarships are available to support transportation and lodging.
Workshop

Invasive Annual Grass Journalist Workshop

Summary:
"By many standards, invasive annual grasses and rangeland fires are the most significant threats to western landscapes. Land managers and conservationists are racing to implement effective treatments to get ahead of this massive land health issue before it becomes insurmountable due to scale and cost. The Intermountain West Joint Venture is hosting an event for journalists to make a deep dive into this complex issue. This workshop will be a fully on-the-record opportunity for journalists to learn from speakers, ask questions, collect imagery, and have hands-on experiences. We hope all participants will build a strong understanding of the topics to be able to report effectively on them and grow the base of people they can reach out to on these natural resource issues."
  • When: June 2-4, 2026
  • Where: Thermopolis, Wyoming
  • A limited number of travel scholarships are available to support transportation and lodging.
Dates:

Category:
For:
VISIT
Article

How a Freelancer Pitched a Story on a Controversial Condition to Undark

"Jyoti Madhusoodanan, a freelance science and health journalist in Portland, Ore., had been curious about Morgellon’s disease ever since coming across it while studying microbiology in graduate school. The condition — which causes intensely uncomfortable sensations like crawling, burning or stinging under the skin, leading to scratching and sores — is controversial among clinicians and researchers, who disagree about its roots. ... Here, Madhusoodanan shares the pitch that landed the assignment, and more about the story behind the story. Check out the highlighted sections of her pitch, too, for some of my takeaways on what else freelancers can learn."
Article

How a Freelancer Pitched a Story on a Controversial Condition to Undark

Summary:
"Jyoti Madhusoodanan, a freelance science and health journalist in Portland, Ore., had been curious about Morgellon’s disease ever since coming across it while studying microbiology in graduate school. The condition — which causes intensely uncomfortable sensations like crawling, burning or stinging under the skin, leading to scratching and sores — is controversial among clinicians and researchers, who disagree about its roots. ... Here, Madhusoodanan shares the pitch that landed the assignment, and more about the story behind the story. Check out the highlighted sections of her pitch, too, for some of my takeaways on what else freelancers can learn."
Author:

Anna Medaris

Published By:

Association of Health Care Journalists

Date:

April 14, 2026

Category:
For:
VISIT
Video

Live From SEJ: The State of Climate Journalism

"Covering Climate Now held a frank conversation about the state of climate journalism, in a discussion from the Society of Environmental Journalists convention in Chicago. Amid concerns about a backsliding of climate coverage in the press, CCNow interviewed dozens of climate reporters from around the world to assess the challenges facing reporters on the climate beat. The result is ‘A Burning House, A Quiet Media, A Silenced Majority,’ a new white paper from CCNow that was released at SEJ."
Video

Live From SEJ: The State of Climate Journalism

Summary:
"Covering Climate Now held a frank conversation about the state of climate journalism, in a discussion from the Society of Environmental Journalists convention in Chicago. Amid concerns about a backsliding of climate coverage in the press, CCNow interviewed dozens of climate reporters from around the world to assess the challenges facing reporters on the climate beat. The result is ‘A Burning House, A Quiet Media, A Silenced Majority,’ a new white paper from CCNow that was released at SEJ."
Published By:

Covering Climate Now

Date:

April 16, 2026

Category:
For:
VISIT
Fellowships & Grants

Puffin Foundation Investigative Fund

Type Investigations

"The Puffin Foundation supports investigative journalism in the independent media seeking to highlight voices and stories often excluded or marginalized by mainstream outlets. The foundation’s commitment to journalism in the public interest allows Type Investigations to produce and place in-depth investigative stories in a variety of publications and to support independent reporters. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and will be evaluated monthly." Grants range from $3,000-$6,000. Open to journalists worldwide; however, the story must be related to the U.S. and published initially in a U.S. outlet.
Fellowships & Grants

Puffin Foundation Investigative Fund

Summary:
"The Puffin Foundation supports investigative journalism in the independent media seeking to highlight voices and stories often excluded or marginalized by mainstream outlets. The foundation’s commitment to journalism in the public interest allows Type Investigations to produce and place in-depth investigative stories in a variety of publications and to support independent reporters. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and will be evaluated monthly." Grants range from $3,000-$6,000. Open to journalists worldwide; however, the story must be related to the U.S. and published initially in a U.S. outlet.
Organization:

Type Investigations

Category:
For:
VISIT
Mentor program

NASW David Perlman Mentoring Program

National Association of Science Writers (NASW)

"This summer, NASW is again offering its virtual summer mentoring program for graduate and undergraduate students, which will run from June 3 to July 29. The program is named for longtime science writer and past NASW president David Perlman, who died in 2020 at the age of 101, three years after retiring from the San Francisco Chronicle. David was a mentor to countless members of the science writing community and always made time for kind and supportive words, especially for early career writers. Student registration is open through May 1. Students who have demonstrated a serious interest in science writing will be paired with mentors and have the opportunity to publish a short science news story or broadcast piece in the NASW Student Newsroom or other media outlet. Recent graduates (within the last year) are also welcome to participate in the program. Students are not required to write a story to participate in the program."
Mentor program

NASW David Perlman Mentoring Program

Summary:
"This summer, NASW is again offering its virtual summer mentoring program for graduate and undergraduate students, which will run from June 3 to July 29. The program is named for longtime science writer and past NASW president David Perlman, who died in 2020 at the age of 101, three years after retiring from the San Francisco Chronicle. David was a mentor to countless members of the science writing community and always made time for kind and supportive words, especially for early career writers. Student registration is open through May 1. Students who have demonstrated a serious interest in science writing will be paired with mentors and have the opportunity to publish a short science news story or broadcast piece in the NASW Student Newsroom or other media outlet. Recent graduates (within the last year) are also welcome to participate in the program. Students are not required to write a story to participate in the program."
Organization:

National Association of Science Writers (NASW)

Category:
For:
VISIT

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