Paying for it: Getting grants and fellowships
"Grants and fellowships have long been important funding sources, providing writers time and money to dig deeper into a story or subject area than they otherwise could. These sources of outside support range from small travel grants of a few hundred dollars to in-residence fellowships that last as long as a year and provide stipends of $50,000 or more to support academic studies or career-development goals." This article from The Open Notebook covers the basics of considering a fellowship, finding the right one for your idea, crafting a winning proposal, and more.