The Pulitzer Center is seeking proposals to advance wide-reaching and relevant journalism on issues impacting communities in sub-Saharan Africa, including but not limited to water and sanitation, land degradation and coastal erosion, education, maternal health, and climate resilience. We place special emphasis on projects that inform behavior and policies that improve the lives of the communities reported on, and we encourage local journalists to apply.

About Pulitzer Centre

The Pulitzer Center raises awareness of underreported global issues through direct support for quality journalism across all media platforms and a unique program of education and public outreach.  Founded in 2006, we are now the largest single source of money for global enterprise reporting—and the only one incorporating this reporting into comprehensive educational programs that extend the impact of the reporting and allow students and the public to engage directly on the issues.

Aim and Benefits of Underreported Stories in Sub-Saharan Africa

We expect news organizations to pay freelance journalists for their work, though in exceptional cases, we may consider stipends to cover a reporter’s time, if provided in the budget with an explanation. It is OK to include costs of contractors, such as data researchers, illustrators, or data visualization/story designers in your proposal and budget. Please do not include stipends for journalists/team members who are in the employ of newsrooms or are being paid by a publisher.

Requirements for Underreported Stories in Sub-Saharan Africa Qualification

Grants are open to reporters, photographers, radio/audio journalists, television/video journalists, and documentary filmmakers. We are committed to supporting journalists from diverse backgrounds and of all nationalities. This opportunity is open to newsrooms, newsroom staff, and freelance journalists.

We support projects across all media platforms and encourage ambitious proposals that combine print, photography, audio, and/or video for one or more news outlets. The most successful projects are those in which news outlets match our commitment by adding interactive or multimedia elements to enhance and showcase their original reporting.

We encourage our applicants to think creatively about how they distribute their reporting so they may reach the communities that can most benefit from it.

Application Deadline

Not Specified

How to Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to Pulitzer Centre on pulitzercenter.org to apply

To apply, you will be asked to provide the following:

• A description of the proposed project in no more than 250 words;
• A preliminary budget estimate, including a basic breakdown of costs;
• A compelling distribution plan, including letters of commitment from news outlets.

We aim to support teams that reflect the communities they report on. We hope this grant can help our partner organizations advance their diversity, equity, and inclusion goals and commitments.

We accept grant proposals on a rolling basis. You typically will hear back from us one or two weeks after submitting your application.

Please refer to “Tips for a Successful Pulitzer Center Grant Application” for more information on how to apply.

For more details, visit Pulitzer Center website.