RJI Fellowships are open to U.S. citizens and news organizations as well as international news outlets. They also welcome proposals from international journalists who plan to partner with U.S.-based news, technology and civil society organizations.

They have three formats for RJI Fellowships:

1. Residential

Residential fellowships are designed for persons, inside and outside media industries, who want to collaborate with RJI in the pursuit of solutions to a particular journalism problem. Residential fellows spend eight months on campus at the Missouri School of Journalism, taking advantage of the intellectual and technological resources of RJI and the school and interacting with Missouri faculty and students. Resource examples include access to programmers and app developers, financial support to conduct market research, and paid students to produce multimedia content.

Solutions — in the form of strategies, products or services — developed from these ideas would be shared with many news and news-related organizations. Applicants must reside in Columbia, Missouri, for the duration of this fellowship.

Eligibility:

Anyone above the age of 18

Starting Date: 

Sept. 1, 2019

Duration:

8 months (two academic semesters)

Benefits:

Fellows receive a $10,000 a month stipend and a one-time $10,000 allowance to use for relocation or housing.

2. Nonresidential

Nonresidential fellowships are designed for entrepreneurial individuals with a strong interest in journalism and issues related to digital communications. Applicants fellowship can be about something they are interested in pursuing on their own or something that could benefit a current employer. Successful ideas, products or strategies should serve as a model for the news industry or help the industry get smarter, faster and nimbler. Applicants do not need to live in Columbia but they will need to make occasional visits to consult with RJI leadership and staff.

Eligibility:

Anyone above the age of 18

Starting Date:

Starting date is negotiable

Duration:

8 months

Benefits: 

Fellows receive a $20,000 stipend, payable monthly for eight months at $2,500 per month, plus some research and travel support

3. Institutional

Institutional fellowships are designed to unlock some of the thoughtful, meaningful ideas inside newsrooms, ad departments, boardrooms and break rooms that for various reasons can’t get any traction. RJI will collaborate with a leader at a company or institution who will identify an employee who can develop an idea or lead a team that could do it. The employee will be named an RJI Fellow but will continue working at his or her job. The stipend for this fellowship will be paid to the company or institution to be used for salary relief for the part-time fellow, or for another purpose that the company or institution determines will best ensure the success of the fellowship project.

Eligibility: 

Managers and executives from institutions or companies

Starting Date: 

Starting date is negotiable

Duration:

8 months

Benefits: 

$20,000 payable to the company or institution, in four $5,000 payments