Deadline: April 28, 2024
The MIT Environmental Solutions Journalism Fellowship 2024 supports freelance and staff journalists associated with U.S. local/regional newsrooms in developing a high-impact news project that reports on how climate change and/or the shift to a low-carbon economy relates to local communities and regions, in a way that centers local messengers, values, and priorities.
Studies show that localizing climate change impacts and actions are effective ways to engage audiences in climate solutions. Yet today, climate journalism is primarily limited to national news outlets. This fellowship helps provide Americans – especially those living in areas where climate change is controversial or underreported – with well-researched reporting on what a shift to a low-carbon economy can mean for them, their communities, and their local economies.
Starting in June 2024, Fellows will participate in a four-month nonresident program that includes:
- A multi-day virtual workshop* where Fellows will connect with MIT climate scientists, earth modeling researchers, political scientists, energy economists, and others;
- Access to an editor to support project structure and packaging;
- Training on using MIT’s extensive library databases, socioeconomic climate analyses, and other resources as requested;
- Twice a month virtual cohort meetings (attendance is expected);
- Republication of the project through MIT and partner channels; and
- Stipends of $10,000 plus up to $5,000 for qualified expenses (ex., travel, multimedia development, hosting an event).
*Workshops will be approx. 3-6 hour virtual sessions over multiple days.
The fellowship supports projects that:
- Report on how climate change and/or the shift to a low-carbon economy relates to their audience’s existing priorities and values;
- Focus on the newsroom’s home county(ies) or state;
- Feature lived experience and local perspectives and voices;
- Clearly indicate the applicant deeply understands their audience and local concerns;
- Are investigative or explanatory;
- Produce a longform feature or a series of a minimum of 4 shorter pieces;
- Will open local conversations about climate change solutions and empower their audience in engaging with this issue; and
- Have received a commitment from a local/regional news outlet to publish the feature.
Previous fellowship projects of MIT Environmental Solutions Journalism Fellows: 2021 cohort & 2023 cohort.
Awards won by MIT Environmental Solutions Journalism Fellows for their fellowship projects: Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communication from the National Academies; Best of Gannett 2021 journalism award; First place social issues story in the Minnesota Newspaper Association’s 2022 Better Newspaper Contest.
Eligibility
- Staff writers of U.S. newsrooms, or freelance journalists who are affiliated with a newsroom, and who want to tackle an ambitious project by themselves, as a newsroom-wide undertaking or as a collaboration with other media outlets in their communities.
- Newsrooms can include newspapers, news magazines, broadcast stations, digital news outlets, and investigative journalism organizations. Writers employed by or writing for think tanks, lobbying groups, or advocacy groups are not eligible.
- Looking for applicants with proven journalism experience, proven ability to report and execute a complex project in their proposed medium, and a strong background or reporting experience in the subject.
Benefits
Fellows will also be awarded up to $5,000 for project-related expenses and will have significant discretion with how to use these funds.
Acceptable expenditures include relief from daily newsroom duties, project-related travel expenses, multimedia development, transcription or relevant translation services, attending conferences or workshops to build subject-specific knowledge, or contracting with an outside journalism resource such as a data journalist or sensitivity reader.
Funds may not be used to pay family members for any of these services. Itemized receipts must be kept, submitted to, and approved by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative.
Key Dates
- April 28: Application deadline
- Early May: Announce Fellows
- June 3: Fellowship and week-long virtual workshops begin
- September 27: End of Fellowship Program
- October 27: End date for project publication
How to apply
The application includes the following:
- Resume/CV;
- One page cover letter introducing yourself, your proposed project and qualifications to execute it, and why you are seeking fellowship support;
- A letter of recommendation and commitment from a news editor who pledges that the news outlet will publish your feature/series (see below);
- Up to three samples of your best and most relevant work, published during the past 24 months; and
- A two- to three-page project proposal outlining your project. Please include:
- Your plan for incorporating the required project features listed above;
- A description of who and what size is your audience;
- How the project will engage Americans in parts of the country where climate change is disputed, controversial or underreported, in a way that is new or novel;
- What kinds of expertise, information/data, and multimedia content you would like to have access to/include;
- Disclosures on any potential conflicts of interest you may have;
- A proposed budget for the $5k expenditure; and
- Encouraged but optional: what an audience engagement component would look like.
