Koch Continuum Grant in Public Health and Disability Investigative Reporting

Provides cash awards to assist journalists pursuing projects that highlight research and investigative reporting on public health issues and/or issues affecting people with disabilities.

Description

Created in 2025, the grants are awarded to proposals that demonstrate potential for significant impact, that could affect change in law or improve quality of life. The use of mapping and GIS is highly encouraged in these projects. The grants are intended to support work that will be published for United States and/or Canadian audiences. Established through the generosity of a longtime IRE member, the goal of this program is to foster investigative reporting in the medical and public health fields.

Applications are open!

Deadline:

April 6, 2025, 11:59 p.m. ET

Apply today

Who is eligible?

Working freelance journalists and journalists who work for news outlets
Must meet IRE membership criteria
Need assistance in conducting an investigative project involving public health issues or issues affecting the disabled community

What does the grant provide?

$10,000
A two-year IRE membership
Registration, transportation stipend and lodging for the 2026 IRE Conference to present project

Required application materials:

Three clips showcasing investigative work
Resume
LinkedIn page, if available
A clear description of your project; limit 1,000 words
A general budget outlining how you plan to spend the grant money
The name of the outlet where you plan to publish the project (newspaper, TV, radio, online) and a contact at the outlet
If no confirmed publication outlet yet, a list of potential outlets should be included

Judging criteria:

Proposals that demonstrate potential for significant impact, that could affect change in law or improve quality of life
Proposals that deal with whistleblowers, ethical debates or the public’s right to know
Projects can be in any form — print, TV, radio, film, online — for a U.S. and/or Canadian public audience
The proposed project must be published/aired by June 1, 2026

How to support this grant

Individuals can make a secure donation online here. Please put “Koch Continuum” in the donation text box.

Many companies, such as NBC and Disney, match donations; check with your employer to participate in the matching program. IRE appreciates it!