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George Polk Grants for Investigative Reporting

Note: Applications for the grant program are closed until further notice

The George Polk Awards grants are given to experienced reporters from newspapers, radio or television to pursue specific investigative projects. The intent is to provide short-term relief to journalists and also to promote investigative articles on the Web. The curator and other officials of the Polk Awards program will select the grantees.

Special consideration will be given to journalists who have been laid off or are otherwise no longer employed by their news organizations, but this is not an absolute requirement. Ideally, an applicant should have a proven track record as an investigative reporter and propose an article or series of articles on a subject with which he or she is familiar.

This program is intended as a resource for the reporter who always has wanted to dig into a particular topic or who has developed useful expertise – who knows “where the bodies are buried” – on a matter of public interest that may be local, national or international in scope.

Grants will range from $2500 to $10,000, depending on the duration and complexity of the proposed project. Most projects are expected to take a couple of months but projects taking longer will be considered if the merits warrant.

The Polk Awards Program will provide editorial supervision once an application is approved and will attempt to place the resulting article on the Web and also in print or on radio or television.

Applicants should provide a detailed prospectus of the project, along with resumes and references and can expect to be interviewed by phone or skype. All information will be confidential.