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Philanthropy  & Nonprofit Accountability Fellowship FAQs

How will the fellowship benefit my news organization?


This fellowship will help your newsroom deepen its coverage of the nonprofit sector in your community. Your reporters will learn concrete skills — finding and reading public documents about nonprofits and better understanding how they work with the local government and shape the communities you cover. By reporting on nonprofits, you will develop sources who have deep networks into your communities, helping with all of your reporting.

In addition:

  • Audiences want to hear more about who’s solving problems in their communities and what they can do about it. Covering nonprofits is one of the best ways to convey those solutions to your readers.
  • Experts anticipate that the wealthiest baby boomers will channel trillions of dollars to charities in the decades ahead.
  • While more money is going to nonprofits, it is coming from fewer people — and that runs the risk of widening the gulf between elite institutions that receive big donations (like colleges and museums) and organizations that do not, such as community groups that serve the neediest and those run by people of color.
  • Millennials and Generation Z readers are among the most socially conscious generations in history and are demanding their employers, policymakers, and others pay heed to social causes. They want to read more about groups in their communities and around the world.
  • One in 11 Americans works for a nonprofit organization. Many more volunteer, serve as trustees, or give money or goods to charitable organizations. The pandemic prompted many people to found nonprofits or create or expand informal networks known as mutual-aid groups. Yet the nonprofit world is poorly understood.
  • Charitable organizations are subsidized by the public — they are exempt from taxes, and supporters deduct their donations.

How do you choose the winners?

The criteria we use to select the fellows include the following:

  • Must be based in the United States
  • Strength of the proposed reporting project based on topic, solution focus, news value, potential benefit to your community, and originality.
  • Experience of editors and reporters involved.
  • Diversity, including the diversity of the reporting team and the impact of the subject matter on marginalized or underrepresented communities.
  • Planned use of data.

Who chooses the fellows?

A panel made up of Chronicle reporters and editors and at least one former fellow will choose the winners.

What does the Chronicle provide to fellows?

Fellowship teams will work from their news organization’s home base to collaborate with editors and reporters at the Chronicle. They will also learn from the philanthropy reporting team at the Associated Press and other journalism and nonprofit experts. We will provide:

  • An annual stipend of $30,000 for each news organization to be paid in two installments.
  • At least six journalism or philanthropy skill-focused virtual training sessions for all members of the organization’s fellowship team so you can learn from experts and connect with other fellows.
  • Monthly story planning and coaching sessions with our director of partnerships and Chronicle reporters, who serve as mentors.
  • At least two one-hour story coaching sessions with the founding editor of the Chronicle (now the Chronicle’s CEO).
  • Editors at the Chronicle and at the fellowship team’s organization will collaborate to shape stories so they will be ready for publication. The goal is to write articles that fellowship teams can publish on their websites or in their publications and that may be published on the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s website. We’ll also explain how we prepare our stories for possible publication by the Associated Press.

What do fellows need to commit to?

Each news organization selected for the fellowship must:

  • Agree to share stories in front of their website’s paywall.
  • Attend an orientation and training sessions during the fellowship that will likely require about 10 hours over the year.
  • Provide a detailed timeline for work on stories or projects within one month of orientation.
  • Outline how the stipend from the Chronicle will be used.
  • Write, develop, and publish at least four stories of about 2,000 words or two long-form projects that shed light on a topic related to philanthropy and the social sector.
  • Meet virtually with the Chronicle to provide project updates about work on stories at least once a month.
  • Sign a memorandum of understanding that outlines key agreements for participating in this program.

What kinds of stories is the Chronicle looking for?

Here are some articles from our fellows and from the Chronicle as part of our commitment to showing what nonprofits and philanthropy are doing to change communities:

Stories from our fellows:

See the full list of articles from our fellows.

Accountability reporting from the Chronicle:

This fellowship is funded by a grant from the Lilly Endowment.

If you have questions or need more information, contact Jim Rendon, the Chronicle’s fellowship director.