Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Center Accepting Entries for Business Journalism Fellowship

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Jane Sasseen
Executive Director of McGraw Center for Business Journalism

The Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Center   for Business Journalism, an initiative of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York, is now accepting entries from business journalists for reporting.

The Fellowship is open to anyone with at least five years professional experience in journalism including freelance journalists, as well as reporters and editors currently working at a news organization or a journalism non-profit.

Applications for in-depth text, audio and short-form video pieces are accepted, long-form documentaries are not accepted at this time. The fellowship encourages applicants to submit proposals that take advantage of more than one storytelling form to create a multimedia package.

The fellowship is looking for applicants with a proven ability to report and execute a complex project in their proposed medium; ideally, candidates will also have a strong background or reporting expertise on the subject of their project.

The McGraw Fellowship is not a residency Fellowship, even outside of the current pandemic, all Fellows work from their own offices.

The fellowship provides grants up to $15,000 and editorial support to experienced journalists that enable them to do the deep reporting necessary to produce high-impact investigative and enterprise stories that tackle critical issues related to the global economy, finance and business.

The exact amount to be given each project will depend on the time it takes to complete it and the expenses needed. Freelance journalists may use some of the funding as a stipend for living expenses during the Fellowship.

The McGraw Center provides editorial supervision during the Fellowship and works with the Fellows to develop their projects during the reporting phase and frequently edit the completed stories. The Center also assist with placing the articles in established print, audio or digital outlets and run the stories on the McGraw Center website as well.

Applicants are encouraged to submit a well-focused story proposal of no more than three pages through the online form. They should think of it as pitch, much like submitting to an editor at a newspaper, magazine, digital outlet, or radio station: give enough preliminary reporting and documentation to demonstrate that the story is solid.

Proposals should highlight what’s new and significant about the story, why it matters and what its potential impact might be. The proposals should also note where significant stories on the subject have run elsewhere and how the proposed piece would differ. Applicants should also briefly outline a proposed reporting plan and a timeline for completing the story, and let the McGraw Center know if a media outlet is lined up to run the story.

Additionally, applicants should enclose three sample works which should be professionally published works that showcase ability to tackle an in-depth story in the proposed medium. Applicants should also provide a resume and references from two editors or others familiar with their work. If getting references is a problem, applicants are encouraged to please contact the McGraw Center to discuss alternatives.

The fellowship accepts applications twice a year. The deadline to apply for Fall 2021 Fellowships is September 30, 2021 while applications for the Spring 2022 Fellowships will be due March 31, 2022. Outside of the Fall and Spring deadline periods, the fellowship will also consider time-sensitive projects on a case-by-case basis outside of the. If you have a project that might qualify, please contact:  mcgrawcenter@journalism.cuny.edu.

For further information and to apply, please go to: http://www.mcgrawcenter.org/the-harold-w-mcgraw-jr-business-journalism-fellowships/.