AI Reporting Grants
Opening DateOngoing
Deadline DateNot defined
Submission LanguageEnglish
Maximum ValueNo limit*
Percentage of FinancingNA
StatusOpen
StatusOpen
Who
This grant is open to journalists worldwide.
Eligibility
Governments and corporations use AI technologies to make life-changing decisions for millions of people – in policing, medicine, social welfare, the criminal justice system, hiring, and more. How do these systems work? What data do they rely on? Who benefits from the technology? And who gets hurt?
They welcome in-depth stories that explore with nuance how AI systems are designed, sold and deployed in communities around the world. They value reporting that centers on the people that are directly impacted by automated systems, as well as solutions-oriented stories. They encourage applications for all formats of reporting and also on lesser reported topics, including:
- AI industry supply chains
- Procurement processes for algorithmic and surveillance systems
- Environmental impacts of AI
- AI & disinformation networks
- AI warfare
- AI regulation and governance
Transparency and governance is a cross-cutting theme for all of their focus areas. They seek to support deep dive reporting projects that follow the money across borders; shed light on opaque and harmful supply chains; and investigate the systems, organizations, and people that enable corruption.
They particularly welcome applications from the Global South and seek reporting from Africa, Latin America and South and South East Asia. They are also interested in receiving proposals for collaborative reporting projects by teams of reporters working on AI accountability stories.
Proposals should include detailed distribution plans and letters of commitment from outlets where the stories will be published. The Pulitzer Center also encourages creative forms of content distribution and audience engagement beyond story publication. If you have ideas and strategies for engaging diverse audiences with your reporting project, please include them in our proposal submission form.
What
They seek applications for their reporting initiative focused on AI and surveillance technologies and their impact on communities around the world. They value accountability and data reporting, collaborations, and cross-discipline approaches. Staff and freelance journalists are eligible.
Open to staff and freelance journalists worldwide. Applicants must propose in-depth reporting projects focused on AI and/or surveillance technologies and their impact on communities. Projects must incorporate accountability reporting, data-driven approaches, collaborations, or cross-disciplinary methods. Applications must include a 250-word project description (with optional extended materials), a preliminary budget, and a clear distribution plan with letters of commitment from publishing outlets. Applicants should reflect the communities they report on; diversity and inclusion in project teams are encouraged. Only complete applications will be considered.
Funding
The grants cover the hard costs of getting to the story and reporting it—airfare, hotels, meals, local ground transportation, records requests costs, data analysis/visualization costs, local reporting partners, or assistants, translators, etc. They expect you to try to keep your costs down.
WHAT WHEY DON'T FUND
- Books (we can support a story that might become part of a book, as long as the story is published independently in a media outlet)
- Feature-length films (we do support short documentaries with ambitious distribution plans)
- Staff salaries (with the exception of some of our yearlong fellowships)
- Equipment purchases (equipment rentals are considered on a case-by-case basis)
- An outlet’s general expenses (for example, rent, utilities, insurance)
- Seed money for start-ups
- Routine breaking news and coverage
- Advocacy campaigns
- Data projects aimed solely at academic research. Data should be developed to enhance/support journalism.
*They do not have budget range for these grants/awards.
