Deadline: Rolling Basis
Applications for the Pulitzer Center Machine Learning Reporting Grants 2022 are now open. The Pulitzer Center encourages proposals that use advanced data mining techniques, such as machine learning and natural language processing, to solve a data or reporting problem related to a journalistic investigation.
Recent grantees have used machine learning to reveal the true scope of oil-well abandonment in Texas; hold land banks accountable in Ohio; and map the proliferation of gold mines in the Amazon rainforest. These projects harnessed machine learning to augment the reporters’ capacity to tackle big data and systemic issues. The reporters combined the use of machine learning with geospatial analysis, satellite imagery, and traditional shoe-leather reporting, among other approaches.
Another interesting characteristic of the projects they have supported so far is that they all involved collaborative work, whether across newsrooms or disciplines. They encourage journalists to seek smart partnerships that can complement their skills and perspectives. They are seeking compelling data-driven storytelling—based on original and transparent data collection and analysis—that has the potential to shape public discourse and hold the powerful accountable.
Grant
- Pulitzer Center does not have a budget range for these Machine Learning Grants. They will consider projects of any scope and size and are open to supporting multiple projects each year. Most awards for their past data journalism project support has been between $10,000-$25,000, but may be more or less depending on circumstances.
Eligibility
- Open to U.S. residents and journalists around the world.
- They are open to proposals from freelance data journalists, staff journalists, or groups of newsrooms working in collaboration on a data project idea. They want to make sure that people from many backgrounds and perspectives are empowered to produce data journalism.
- They strongly encourage proposals from journalists and newsrooms who represent a broad array of social, racial, ethnic, underrepresented groups, and economic backgrounds.
Application
To apply, you will be asked to provide the following:
- A description of the proposed project (250 words). They look more favorably on proposals that include a thoughtful distribution plan and letter(s) of interest or support from publishers or editors
- Methodology: describe your approach to collecting and analyzing the data, and include your approach for fact-checking or independently verifying the data that will be used in your reporting. Please explain any plans you may have to make the code or the data publicly available after publication of the stories
- A preliminary budget estimate, including a basic breakdown of costs. Include travel costs, software, satellite/GIS, or hardware costs. Do not include stipends for journalists/team members who are in the employ of newsrooms or are being paid by a publisher. If you are a journalist collaborating with a data analyst, coder, and/or data visual specialist, you may include consultant fees in your budget.
- Three examples (links) of published work by you (or someone on your project team)
- Three professional references. These can be either contact information or letters of recommendation
- A copy of your resume or curriculum vitae
- Applications may also include a more detailed description of the project and reporting plan
For more information, visit Machine Learning Reporting Grants.
