MIT Environmental Solutions Journalism Fellowships 2025 ($10,000 stipend)

The MIT Environmental Solutions Journalism Fellowship 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 is an effective way 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.

For this cohort of fellows, special consideration will be given to news projects centered on climate solutions within the food and waste systems, including food waste and methane emissions in waste management.

Stipend of MIT Environmental Solutions

• Stipend of $10,000 plus up to $5,000 for qualified expenses (ex., travel, multimedia development, hosting an event).

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Eligibility for MIT Environmental Solutions

• Open to staff writers of U.S. newsrooms, or freelance journalists in association with a sponsoring newsroom, who want to tackle an ambitious project.
• 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.
• They look 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.
• They are committed to working with rural, hydrocarbon-producing and marginalized communities across the United States and they will ask judges to keep this in mind when selecting Fellowship placements.

The fellowship supports projects that:

• Relate climate change, the shift to a low-carbon economy, and/or climate solutions within food and waste systems 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.

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Application

Qualified applicants are invited to submit their application by October 14, 2024, 11:59 PM ET using this submission form.

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;
• 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. Include:
  • Your plan for incorporating the required project features listed above;
  • A description of the makeup and size of 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;
  • Disclosure of 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.

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