Freelance Investigative Reporters and Editors
OVERVIEW: Freelance Investigative Reporters and Editors supports investigative journalism in the public interest with consulting and editorial services as well as grants.
IP TAKE: Investigative journalists who participate in FIRE’s consultancy and virtual newsroom programs are eligible for grants of up to $12,500. This funder’s interests include reporting on injustice, abuse, deceit and corruption. Participating journalists have published their work in leading news outlets.
PROFILE: Founded in 2016 with a $200,000 grant from an anonymous donor, Freelance Investigative Reporters and Editors (FIRE) “helps create a more just, democratic society by building the capacity of freelance investigative journalists from diverse backgrounds to produce investigations in the public interest.” The organization mainly supports journalists through its legal and reporting consultancy programs. It also runs a virtual newsroom, which supports journalists with editorial services, research support and grants.
Grants for Journalism
FIRE’s consulting and grantmaking prioritizes investigative reporting in the public interest. Journalists who receive support are often involved in research that involves “public records or difficult to obtain sources” and stories that reveal “potential damage to the public good in ways that hadn’t been known or understood before.” The foundation names systemic injustice, abuse, deceit and corruption by people and/or groups in positions of power as areas of specific interest. Past grantees have published their work in publications and platforms including the BBC, the Boston Globe, the Guardian and Mother Jones, among others.
Important Grant Details:
FIRE’s grants are awarded in amounts of up to $12,500. Grant application is open only to journalists participating in the organization’s Virtual Newsroom, which is open to participants in its larger consultancy programs. Application for FIRE’s consultancy program are accepted via email on a rolling basis. Guidelines are available at the program web page. Questions may be directed to the program’s staff via email.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
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