“Today much of investigative journalism is about acquiring, organizing and analyzing large, digital document sets. Technology plays a critical role in all phases but those resources are unevenly distributed. Only a few news organizations are able to take advantage of these advances. Many local news organizations and freelance journalists, especially those who serve local and underrepresented communities, would benefit from additional resources. This [Google News Initiative + Northwestern University | Medill] program aims to close this gap with targeted, financial awards to organizations and freelancers working on document-focused, investigative stories.”

Grants of up to $35,000 will be awarded for projects that serve local and/or underrepresented communities in the US and Canada. Recipients will also receive specialized training and support from Medill on Google Journalist Studio tools as well as other resources.