The daily demands of newsrooms often leave journalists little time to think about journalism, their careers or even the ethical dilemmas that affect their work.
That's why various universities and institutes around the world offer fellowships, resources and other types of support annually so that journalists and other communications professionals can temporarily pause their routines and dedicate themselves to developing projects and solutions for an increasingly dynamic industry.
As is tradition, LatAm Journalism Review (LJR) curated a list of fellowships around the world open to communications professionals. All are open to applicants from across the globe and require English language proficiency.
Before applying, we invite you to read this LJR article, in which Latin American journalists who have already participated in some of these opportunities offer advice on how to put together more compelling applications.
Below are some fellowships and opportunities organized by application deadline, starting with the earliest.
The Open Notebook (TON) offers a 12-month program for early-career scientists and the application period closes soon. During the year-long fellowship, selected journalists will be mentored to plan, report and write articles for The Open Notebook, as well as participate in the TON editorial team.
On Feb. 23, 2026, fellows will begin the program, which is conducted remotely and on a part-time basis. Each journalist is expected to dedicate at least five to seven hours per week, although some weeks require more time.
The fellowship helps selected journalists explore their professional interests and passions so they can hone their skills. Applicants must have prior experience writing for a general audience and at least three years of experience in science journalism (some exceptions apply).
Fellows will receive US$6,600. During the fellowship, they will be required to write four articles for The Open Notebook, participate in weekly meetings with a mentor and participate in conversations in the Slack community with other participants and editors.
Applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM (Central Time) on Oct. 31, 2025. The reference letter may be submitted by Nov. 7, 2025.
Visit the official site for more information.
Perhaps one of the oldest and most prestigious programs, applications for the Nieman Fellowships are now open for the 2026-2027 school year. Selected journalists will spend an academic year at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to study a specific topic in journalism.
One of the application requirements is an essay of up to 500 words describing what you will be doing during your year at Harvard.
For the duration of the fellowship, those selected will be able to participate in classes led by the institution's leading experts, and occasionally in classes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Tufts University.
Additionally, fellows attend seminars, workshops and conferences designed to strengthen their professional skills and leadership abilities. According to the fellowship website, those who participate in this program often return to work as journalistic entrepreneurs, industry innovators and senior executives in their newsrooms.
Nieman Fellows receive a total of US$85,000 over a nine-month period to cover living costs. They may also receive financial assistance for health insurance and childcare.
International candidates have until Dec. 1, 2025, to submit their applications, while U.S. candidates can submit their applications until Jan. 31, 2026. Each year, 12 international candidates and 12 U.S. candidates are selected.
Visit the official site for more information
Time and resources. Those are the main offerings of the Knight-Wallace Fellowship, based at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. For one academic year (eight months), journalists “eager for growth and deeply committed to the future of journalism” will be able to immerse themselves in a journalistic project of their choice.
“We are looking for a diverse range of journalists, including reporters, editors, data experts, visual journalists, audio producers, engagement specialists, designers, developers, entrepreneurs and organizational change agents,” the official page says.
They will be able to work on honing professional skills, addressing a challenge facing their newsroom, analyzing data and researching for a long-term journalism project, or developing a journalism business.
Twenty fellows are selected each year and receive a stipend of US$85,000 for the eight months of the fellowship, plus US$5,000 for relocation expenses. Additionally, Wallace House Center for Journalists, which offers the fellowships, covers health insurance and paid classes or workshops. The program runs from August 2026 to May 2027.
The application period for international candidates closes on Dec. 1, 2025, and for U.S. candidates on Feb. 1, 2026.
The Wallace House Center for Journalists is offering webinars to assist with the application process: the first will be on Oct. 27 and the second on Nov. 21. For applicants from the United States, a third will be held on Dec. 10.
Visit the official site for more information.
Offering journalists the opportunity to disconnect from the daily demands of work to "reimagine the future of journalism" is the goal of the JSK Fellowship at Stanford University in California. Selected journalists will spend nine months at the prestigious university focused on becoming more effective and resilient leaders.
Each fellow focuses their time on a chosen area of specialization, such as enhancing specific professional skills, working on a challenge for their media outlet or community, researching and exploring ideas for a new project, or deepening their expertise in a specific area of focus.
Applicants must have at least five years of professional experience. The fellowship does not sponsor books or reporting projects, or serve as an accelerator for initiatives.
Fellows will receive a nine-month stipend of US$130,000, which will cover tuition at Stanford and medical insurance for fellows and their families.
The fellowship begins in September 2026 and runs through May 2027. Selected journalists must dedicate themselves full-time to the fellowship project, participate in weekly meetings with their colleagues and individual mentors, and occasionally participate in JSK events, among other activities.
To assist with the application process, the fellowship offers two webinars in which JSK executives will answer questions. The first will take place on Oct. 30, and another will be held on Nov. 12.
Visit the official site for more information.
For four months, professionals from different disciplines around the world gather at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, to "grow intellectually, share knowledge, strengthen skills and expand networks.”
Under the Maurice R. Greenberg World Fellows Program, the professionals will spend their time at Yale from mid-August to mid-December 2026, where they will participate in seminars, classes, weekly events and dinners.
Selected candidates receive a stipend to cover living expenses in New Haven, a furnished apartment, medical insurance and travel expenses.
Those wishing to apply must have between five and 25 years of professional experience with "demonstrated and significant accomplishments at a regional, national or international level." The program is open to citizens of any country except the United States.
Although this fellowship is not exclusively for communicators and/or journalists, at least 64 professionals in these fields have been awarded fellowships since 2022.
To apply, you must submit a resume, a letter of interest of up to 600 words and three letters of recommendation.
Visit the official site for more information.
Focusing on professional ethics and responsible leadership, the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (Faspe) is an intensive two-week program in Europe that invites participants to critically reflect on current ethical dilemmas.
By analyzing the role played by German and international journalists in promoting or misreporting the policies of the Nazi regime, the program provides a historical context that allows fellows to understand the relevance of their work and its impact on society. The goal is to foster a critical attitude toward the ethical challenges faced by both journalists and media organizations today.
Between 13 and 16 journalism fellows, including graduate students and early-career professionals, are selected annually. During the program, participants travel to Germany and Poland, where they visit historical sites associated with Nazism and attend seminars led by ethics and journalism experts.
There, they will share experiences with fellows from other disciplines, such as medicine, administration, and theology, to promote an interdisciplinary approach.
The application deadline is Jan. 4, 2026. Letters of recommendation can be submitted until Jan. 9, 2026. The program, which includes the journalism track, will run from June 19 to July 3, 2026.
Visit the official site for more information.
Applications for the 2026-27 Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at MIT open in November 2025. For nine months, 10 science journalists from around the world will gather at the prestigious university to explore science, technology and journalism, and focus on a scientific specialty.
For the duration of the fellowship, journalists will conduct a journalism-related research project. In previous years, for example, fellows have developed multimedia reports, conducted research for books or delved into a specific scientific topic.
The program offers regular meetings to monitor the project.
In addition to seminars and workshops, fellows also take field trips to places of particular interest to science and technology journalists. In past years, they have visited the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts; the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine; and Harvard Forest in Petersham, Massachusetts.
Those selected receive a stipend of US$85,000 spread over nine and a half months of the fellowship. They also receive financial support for travel and accommodation, as well as medical insurance.
Visit the official site for more information.
The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) at the University of Missouri in Columbia will open applications for its fellowship on Dec. 1. The invitation is open to media outlets and journalists interested in creating accessible, free and innovative resources that "help with a current need, gap or challenge for journalists and/or newsrooms.”
The final outcome of their fellowship should be a resource that journalists and newsrooms can use, whether it's a guide, a tool, a platform or a workshop. These projects are developed, tested and released to the public during the fellowship period. Each fellow is also expected to write monthly articles, participate in weekly meetings and visit the RJI for training sessions.
Some projects created in previous years include a Slack-based SEO tool, a bilingual guide to disinformation and a quick-start guide to freelancing, among others.
The RJI offers two types of fellowships: residential or remote, the last of which is individual or institutional.
The first requires a one-year stay at the RJI, where the individual will collaborate with RJI staff, students and faculty at the institute in Columbia, Missouri. For this purpose, the individual will receive a monthly stipend of US$5,000 for living expenses and will have access to funding of up to US$100,000 for project expenses. This fellowship begins on June 29, 2026.
In the second type, the money can be awarded to a fellow or institution working on a project to strengthen journalism. In both cases, a US$25,000 stipend will be awarded, plus a US$5,000 project impact bonus, paid as the objectives of each stage of the fellowship are met. It also begins on June 29, 2026.
The application period will open on Dec. 1, 2025, and runs through Feb. 6, 2026. A session will be held on Dec. 3 to answer questions about the fellowship.
Visit the official site for more information.
Working, mid-career journalists can take time off from their day jobs and take advantage of the Reuters Institute Fellowship to delve deeper into journalism topics.
Through seminars, networking events, discussions with colleagues and the creation of a personal project, the nearly 30 journalists selected annually spend between three and six months at the University of Oxford in England.
The goal is for fellows to work on a project that will have a direct impact on themselves, their careers, the newsroom they work in or even the media industry as a whole. The program is designed for journalists and editors who will return to journalism after their time at Oxford.
Most fellows are fully sponsored. They will receive a stipend of £2,000 per month covering housing, food and general expenses. The fellowship covers travel and visa costs.
Applications for the 2026-27 academic year will open in January 2026.
Visit the official site for more information.
The Knight-Bagehot Fellowship opens for applications in the Fall of 2026. Based at Columbia University in New York, the fellowship is open to full-time editorial staff of newspapers, magazines, wire services, digital media, television and radio news organizations, as well as freelance journalists from anywhere in the world.
Applicants must have at least four years of experience in business, economics and financial journalism and have earned a bachelor's degree (or equivalent) from an accredited university.
According to their official website, they interpret economic journalism more broadly: "If you are following the money, you can apply." In addition to covering traditional topics such as banking, investments, real estate, personal finance, etc., they also consider applications from journalists who cover the fiscal and political sectors of government, science journalists who cover corporate innovation, and/or sports journalists who cover the economic aspect of sports, to name a few.
During their two semesters at Columbia, fellows typically take classes at the Business School. They must complete 30 credits for the year and fulfill all student obligations, such as passing exams and assignments.
Fellows are usually selected from applications from the United States, but it is open to international journalists. “We specifically look for candidates who can help deliver better business journalism in all parts of the world,” the fellowship site says.
The number of fellowships awarded each year, as well as the amount of the living expenses stipend, is determined by the program's financial resources. Generally, tuition at Columbia is fully covered, fellowship recipients have medical insurance and subsidized student housing is available. In previous years, fellowship recipients have received a US$70,000 stipend for the nine-month program.
Visit the official site for more information.
