The Chronicle of Philanthropy, a nonprofit news organization that covers charities, foundations, and others involved in advancing the social good, offers fellowships to four U.S.-based local newsrooms each year to help them better cover philanthropy in their communities. Our goal is to give local news organizations access to the tools and training they need to write powerful stories that examine the role of nonprofits and foundations in their communities and attract and engage more readers.
Fellows work closely with reporters in our newsroom to develop, report, and publish articles about the people and organizations in their regions that are trying to solve pressing problems. They will also have opportunities to learn from our partners at the Associated Press, which doubled the size of its philanthropy team through a joint grant from the Lilly Endowment that benefits the Chronicle, AP, and The Conversation and which funds this fellowship program.
Each of the four news organizations we select for the fellowship will receive $30,000 to enhance their coverage of nonprofits.
Why Covering the Nonprofit World Matters
Americans give about $550 billion a year to nonprofits, which, along with foundations and other philanthropic organizations, hold trillions of dollars in assets. Grant makers such as the Gates and Ford foundations; charities like United Way Worldwide and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund; private colleges such as Howard and Stanford universities; hospitals like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Mayo Clinic; and advocacy groups like the American Civil Liberties Union are all part of the charitable sector. Nonprofits provide vital services in every community — housing and food to those who need it, after-school programs, and services for victims of domestic violence. They also are responsible for breakthroughs in technology and public health and can drive public policy debates. One out of every 11 Americans works for a nonprofit.
Despite the influential and often indispensable role these groups play in society, and the vast amounts of money supporters give them, they operate with little scrutiny. The news media has an opportunity to change that.
Not only can reporting on nonprofits provide a valuable public service to a community but by bolstering coverage of nonprofits, news organization can better engage their audiences. Research by the American Journalism Project shows that Americans are eager for more news about problem solving in their communities — and they are seeking ways to engage with organizations that do such work. Nonprofits and foundations are often at the center of the issues and solutions that audiences most want to learn more about, so it’s essential to include them in coverage.
We are encouraging news organizations to submit proposals for stories and projects that:
- Examine whether charities and foundations are making a difference on important problems facing the communities that news organizations serve.
- Advance the understanding of nonprofits and charitable giving among citizens, entrepreneurs, business executives, government officials, policymakers, and others.
- Deepen the understanding of nonprofits and philanthropy in civic life.
- Build knowledge about the importance and inner workings of philanthropic giving.
Visit our application page to better understand what we want from you.
Visit our FAQ page for more detailed information.
Philanthropy & Nonprofit Accountability Fellows
2024 Fellows
Flatwater Free Press (Omaha) is Nebraska’s first independent, statewide nonprofit newsroom, focusing on investigations and feature stories. It is examining some of the underreported aspects of philanthropy in the state, including how billionaires are paying for services that taxpayers support elsewhere. And it is showing its readers how nonprofits and foundations achieve success with audacious projects.
Henrico Citizen (Henrico, Va.) is a digital news organization that covers Henrico County, Va., near Richmond. It is exploring the efforts and impact of local nonprofit organizations working with the county’s growing refugee and immigrant population.
NowKalamazoo (Kalamazoo, Mich.) is a program of the Local Journalism Foundation, an independent, nonprofit, community news organization that covers policies, power, and culture across Kalamazoo County. As part of its ongoing Beyond Bullets project, it is focusing on philanthropic support for curbing gun violence in Kalamazoo.
New York & Michigan Solutions Journalism Collaborative is a coalition of newsrooms and community partners in southeast Michigan and western New York. It is examining how nonprofits are working to address the maternal and infant health crisis in BIPOC communities.
2023 Fellows
The Arizona Republic (Phoenix) has been the state’s watchdog since 1890 and is Arizona’s largest news-gathering organization. It covered philanthropy’s role in shaping the response to the growing homelessness crisis in the state.
Boston Business Journal is an online and print news organization that covers business and the economy in eastern Massachusetts. Its stories examined corporate foundations of for-profit companies and their impact and relationship with their communities as well as equity in nonprofit compensation.
The Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.) is locally owned and is the South’s oldest daily newspaper, tracing its roots to 1803. Its reporters investigated the flow of cash from cities to several local nonprofits and how the money is used.
WHQR Public Media (Wilmington, N.C.) is the NPR affiliate station for southeastern North Carolina. It examined the work and grant making of a billion-plus-dollar foundation created from the sale of a formerly publicly owned hospital.
2022 Fellows
Boulder Reporting Lab (Boulder, Co.), a nonprofit news organization that provides local news coverage. It reported on the unique role that community foundations play in climate disaster relief and recovery.
The Haitian Times (Brooklyn, N.Y.), an independent media organization founded in 1999 that seeks to inform readers about developments in the Haitian diaspora and Haiti. It examined foundations and nonprofits working to aid Haitians in New York City.
The Land (Cleveland), a nonprofit news organization founded in 2020 that reports on Cleveland’s neighborhoods. For the fellowship, it focused on philanthropy’s role in equitable economic and work-force development.
WAMU (Washington), a public radio station founded in 1961 and owned by American University. Its newsroom explored how local nonprofits are working to curb gun violence and provide affordable housing.