Fellowships offer opportunities for journalists to rethink their careers, significantly expand their knowledge and skills, dedicate themselves to in-depth research projects, and build their professional networks.
Many of Latin America’s most successful journalists have gone through these programs, making them highly coveted and competitive.
At this time of year, there are multiple opportunities with applications open for 2025 and 2026. As we do every year at LatAm Journalism Review, we’ve compiled a list of programs available to journalists in Latin America.
The programs range from opportunities for students and early-career professionals to initiatives for those who have been in the field for many years. Some programs are short-term, while others last almost an entire year. In most cases, proficiency in English is require.
Selection processes that do not yet have dates, such as the Reuters Institute fellowship at the University of Oxford, which opens applications in January, or the World Press Institute fellowship, which begins selection in December, have not been included on the list.
Not all programs accept applicants from all countries, and some list criteria such as age limits or minimum or maximum experience. We’ve also included reporting grants and other opportunities.
The list below is organized based on the application deadlines, from earliest latest. We recommend that anyone interested in applying visit the official program websites for more details.
Early-Career Fellowship from The Open Notebook (October 31)
The Early-Career Fellowship Program from the Open Notebook, an organization that supports and promotes training in science journalism, is accepting applications for the 2025 term.
Early-career journalists work with a mentor for a year, planning, reporting, and writing articles for The Open Notebook, also participating in the editorial team.
The program is remote and requires a weekly commitment of five to seven hours, depending on the stage of the reporting and writing process. The initiative aims to explore professional interests, develop skills, and form a diverse and talented community of former fellows and mentors.
The fellowship lasts 12 months, starting on February 24, 2025, and offers $6,600, paid in four installments. Fellows produce four articles for The Open Notebook, participate in weekly meetings with a mentor, and have access to a Slack community with other participants and editors.
Applicants must have prior experience writing for general audiences, and the fellowship is intended for journalists with less than three years of experience in science journalism.
To apply, candidates must submit responses about their interest in the fellowship, previous experience, reporting proposals, a resume, a reference letter, and samples of published work, which must be translated into English if necessary.
Applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM (U.S. Central Time) on October 31, 2024. The reference letter can be sent by November 6, 2024.
For more information, visit this website.
The Kiplinger Fellowship is accepting applications for the 2025 edition and is open to journalists worldwide, offering 20 to 25 spots.
The 2025 program is short-term and will focus on artificial intelligence, exploring its proper use in journalism and its impact on reporting, writing, data journalism, and sourcing. Key topics addressed in sessions with researchers and leaders in the field will include ethics and public trust, writing and editing with AI, AI and data, AI for audio and images and detecting fake AI-generated images.
The program will take place from Sunday, March 23, to Friday, March 28, at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Journalists with at least five years of experience are eligible. Applications are open until midnight on November 1, Eastern Time (U.S.).
The fellowship provides accommodation, most meals, free training, and an 80% travel stipend provided by the Kiplinger Program.
To apply, candidates must fill out the online form available on the Kiplinger Program/Scripps College of Communication website. Applicants must provide essential information about themselves, their employer, their career, explain why they want to participate in the program, and present work samples. All information must be submitted in English.
For more information, visit this website.
The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) has announced a new reporting grant for journalists. The program will offer grants ranging from $2,000 to $3,000, along with mentorship, for at least two winning projects.
With a deadline of November 1, the program seeks to support news reports that don’t fit within the organization's existing programs.
The first call for proposals focuses on climate and climate change reporting, with an emphasis on narratives addressing the issue in the Global South. To apply, it’s necessary to register on the ICFJ website and join the center’s network.
Selected journalists will have three months to develop their stories. Journalists living in countries where the ICFJ does not yet have active programs are especially encouraged to apply.
For more information, visit this site.
One of the most prestigious and competitive fellowships for journalists worldwide is now accepting applications for the 2025-2026 cycle. Selected participants will spend two full semesters at Harvard University, in Cambridge, Mass., with the freedom to set their own study curriculum and participate in a variety of academic and journalistic activities such as seminars, lectures, and masterclasses. A minimum of five years of experience is required to apply.
Participants receive an $85,000 stipend over nine months to cover living expenses during the fellowship. In addition, the Nieman Foundation offers health insurance for the fellow, their spouse, and children, and provides a childcare allowance.
Applications for international candidates (non-U.S. citizens) must be submitted by December 1, 2024, and U.S. candidates have until January 31, 2025. There are 12 spots for Americans and 12 spots for candidates from the rest of the world.
Applicants must submit two essays: a personal statement and a study proposal for Harvard. Candidates should also include samples of recent work and three letters of recommendation that attest to their skills and potential for professional growth, all in English.
Besides enjoying what the university has to offer, fellows participate in a series of weekly activities organized by the Nieman Foundation, including talks with prominent journalists and other renowned guests. The Nieman Foundation also offers non-fiction writing courses for fellows and their partners.
There is also a simplified version of the fellowship called the Nieman Visiting Fellowships, with application dates yet to be defined. This format only requires biographical information, a resume, and a project proposal to be developed during the fellowship period.
Recent Latin American fellows include Colombians Andrea Patiño Contreras (2024) and Jorge Valencia (2023), Venezuelan Patricia Laya (2022), Colombian Jorge Caraballo Cordovez (2022), Brazilian Natalia Viana (2022), Chilean Miguel Paz (2015), and Cuban Elaine Díaz Rodríguez (2015).
For more information, visit this site.
The Knight-Wallace Fellowship, based at the University of Michigan, provides journalists with two highly desired resources: free time and support. For the eight-month program, from August to April, up to 20 journalists—usually six Americans and six non-Americans—receive an $85,000 stipend, plus an additional $5,000 to cover relocation expenses.
To apply, candidates must submit a resume, a statement of intent, a journalism project, and examples of published work.
The fellowship site outlines the following guidelines for the projects submitted, in about 500 words:
“We do not need to know the specific courses you would take but rather the academic areas and subjects you wish to pursue and/or the university resources that you plan to tap into. Be creative and authentic. Select a project that speaks to your goals and passions.”
Focus areas can include, but are not limited to, enhancing professional skills, addressing challenges faced by your newsroom, investigating data and research for a long-term reporting project, or developing a journalism venture.
The program prides itself on offering participants time to dedicate themselves to whatever they wish.
““The easiest way to describe it is like a sabbatical for accomplished journalists,” said Lynette Clemetson, the program’s director.
According to Clemetson, participants are encouraged to follow courses related to the project they presented, as well as classes for their “personal enjoyment, curiosity, and growth.”
The chosen professionals usually come from various areas of journalism.
For more information, visit this site.
Mid-career professionals whose work is based outside the United States can apply for the prestigious Maurice R. Greenberg World Fellows program, held annually from August to December at Yale University’s School of Global Affairs.
The fellowship is not exclusive to journalists, but media professionals routinely participate in the program: More than 60 journalists have been fellows since 2002. Participants from Latin America have come from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, and Venezuela.
Applications require a CV, a personal statement of up to 1,000 words, and three letters of recommendation. About 15 candidates are selected each year from a pool of more than 1,000 candidates.
The successful candidates receive a stipend to cover living expenses in New Haven, a furnished apartment, health insurance, and travel expenses.
The participants’ routine tends to be busy.
“A World Fellow’s time on the Yale campus is short, but sweet. It’s also anything but typical. Days are action-packed, including sessions with other members of the cohort, student liaisons, faculty and beyond,” says the call for applications.
“The program is meant to afford Fellows a chance to evolve their world views and to refine their goals, but moments for reflection are typically sandwiched in between busy days and a whirlwind time in New Haven,” it adds.
For more information, visit this site.
John S. Knight Fellowship at Stanford University (December 6)
The prestigious JSK Fellowship, based at Stanford University opens applications for the 2025-2026 academic year on Nov. 1, accepting international applications until December 4, and U.S. applications until January 15.
Each year, the program invites up to 20 journalists from diverse backgrounds to work on projects aimed at addressing pressing contemporary journalism challenges, with the goal of, as stated in the call, “developing the leadership resilience needed to thrive in today’s complex information landscape.”
Fellows receive personalized mentorship, participate in specialized programming, and group meetings.
Selected fellows will be on Stanford’s campus from September 2025 to May 2026 and must fully dedicate themselves to the program. The JSK Fellowship offers a $125,000 stipend, and covers tuition at Stanford and health insurance for fellows and their families.
Prospective candidates can ask questions about the fellowship experience and application details during a series of live webinars held by the program’s leaders in the coming months. The first meeting will be at 9 a.m. Pacific Time on Nov. 4. The list of webinar dates and registration links are on the program’s website.
A site gathers stories from current and past fellows, describing their reflections and ideas during the program.
For more information, visit this site.
The Rainforest Investigations Network (RIN) is a Pulitzer Center initiative launched in 2020 to investigate the intersection between climate change, corruption, and governance in the Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia.
In its first year, RIN selected 13 fellows from 10 countries; in the second year, the group expanded to 19 fellows from 12 countries; and in the third year, 13 fellows were selected from 9 countries. Currently, RIN is supporting 9 fellows from 6 countries.
The fellows receive support from RIN’s data and research team to apply innovative investigative techniques, such as large-scale document analysis and geospatial analysis, over one year.
Both journalists working with outlets and freelancers can apply, but freelancers must have the backing of a local or international newsroom that commits to hosting and publishing the work produced during the fellowship.
The Pulitzer Center is particularly interested in reporters with a deep understanding of the scientific, environmental, social, legal, political, and commercial forces driving deforestation and forest degradation worldwide.
The fellowship requires full-time commitment and offers financial support, covering the reporter's salary (or part of it, depending on factors like location and experience). Reporting expenses, such as travel and hiring consultants, are also covered.
Selected fellows will be expected to engage with communities through activities related to their investigations, such as meetings and visits to schools and universities to share their findings.
“The RIN community has been incredibly supportive of all the work I've done, both with being incredibly inspirational in their own work, sharing information that they got themselves through their own sources, and giving advice. And supporting me through hard patches of the reporting process,” said Brazilian journalist Manuela Andreoni, who was a 2021 fellow and is now a reporter with The New York Times.
The Fellowship at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (Faspe) is an intensive two-week program focused on professional ethics and ethical leadership.
Unlike a course on the Holocaust or genocide prevention, the Faspe program challenges fellows to critically examine contemporary ethical issues. The program investigates the motivations and conduct of German and international journalists in promoting or distorting Nazi policies, using these historical examples to help fellows understand their role and responsibility as influencers in their communities. The goal is to encourage the identification and confrontation of ethical issues journalists and media institutions face today.
The program annually selects 13 to 16 journalism students and early-career journalists to participate. Fellows spend two weeks in Berlin and Poland, visiting historical sites related to the Nazi regime and participating in daily seminars led by specialized faculty.
Journalism fellows travel alongside fellows from the medical and clerical fields, allowing for a broader understanding of the role of professionals in interdisciplinary contexts, with shared activities and seminars. The fellowship is fully funded.
To apply, candidates must fit one of the following categories: 1) have some journalism experience but no more than five years (whether in a university newsroom or other setting) and be enrolled in a graduate program with plans to work as a journalist; 2) have completed their undergraduate degree and be working as a journalist with no more than five years of professional experience at the time of application; or 3) have completed a graduate program and be working as a journalist, also with no more than five years of professional experience.
The program prioritizes candidates who have already had journalistic work published or broadcast by recognized outlets, and seeks fellows with diverse interests and careers in various forms of storytelling, such as reporters, editors, photojournalists, and documentarians in local, national, or international media.
The 2025 program will take place from June 20 to July 4, with applications already open
