The Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Center for Business Journalism, established at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York in the United States to enhance the quality and depth of business and economic news coverage, has opened applications for the Spring 2026 McGraw Business Journalism Fellowship. The Center supports veteran business journalists and trains young reporters entering the field.
The Center invites applications for the Spring 2026 edition of the Fellowship, offering grants of up to $15,000 to support high-impact investigative and enterprise reporting.
The Fellowship is designed for experienced journalists with strong story ideas but limited resources to execute them by providing both financial backing and editorial support to produce deeply reported stories with a significant economic, financial, or business angle.
The programme focuses on business journalism, but applicants do not need to be business reporters to qualify. Previous Fellows have included general assignment reporters and journalists covering beats such as healthcare, education, and the environment, as well as those reporting on economic inequality and corporate accountability.
The Center is particularly interested in proposals that examine the impact of the major changes in federal spending and policy priorities emerging from the new administration in Washington, DC.
The deadline for submission of applications for the Spring 2026 Fellowship is April 13, 2026. Applications for the Fall 2026 Fellowship will be due on October 12, 2026. Time-sensitive projects may also be considered outside the regular deadlines on a case-by-case basis.
The McGraw Fellowship provides grants of up to $15,000 per project, depending on scope and expenses, editorial supervision throughout the reporting process, assistance with placing completed stories in established print, audio, or digital outlets, and publication on the McGraw Center website.
Freelancers may use part of the funding as a stipend for living expenses during the Fellowship. The programme is not a residential Fellowship as Fellows work from their own locations.
The Center accepts proposals for in-depth text, audio, photo, and short-form video projects, including multimedia packages. However, long-form documentaries are not supported at this time.
The Fellowship is open to journalists with at least five years of professional experience. Both freelance and staff journalists, including reporters and editors working at news organisations or journalism non-profits, are eligible to apply.
Applicants should submit a well-focused story proposal (maximum three pages) via the online form with a clear explanation of what makes the story new, significant, and impactful, a proposed reporting plan and timeline, three published work samples demonstrating the ability to execute an in-depth project in the proposed medium, and an up-to-date résumé.
No budget is required at the initial stage. However, finalists will later be asked to submit an estimated budget and provide references from two editors or individuals familiar with their work.
For enquiries, applicants may contact mcgrawcenter@journalism.cuny.edu.
To apply for the McGraw Business Journalism Fellowship, visit
https://www.mcgrawcenter.org/the-harold-w-mcgraw-jr-business-journalism-fellowships/
