Deadline: June 7, 2026
Applications are open for the Rural Creator Fellowship 2026. The Rural Creator Fellowship trains trusted local voices in the fact-checking skills they need to be reliable sources of accurate information for their communities.
More than 3,500 local news outlets have closed in the past two decades. In rural America, that loss is acute — communities where the only local paper closed years ago, school board meetings with no one covering them, public health crises with no local reporter on the beat. When accurate information disappears, misinformation moves in. The Rural Creator Fellowship exists to change that.
This short-term virtual fellowship is open to two kinds of people: experienced content creators who want to deepen their fact-checking skills, and trusted community members — retired teachers, civic leaders, local business owners, and others — who are ready to take their first steps in public information sharing. What matters most isn’t a following or a camera setup. It’s community trust and a commitment to getting things right.
Program Details
The fellowship curriculum includes:
- Fact-checking and finding reliable sources
- Public records research and FOIA requests
- Citing research, studies, and data
- Interviewing and source development
- Understanding your audience and building trust
- Audio and video technical tools
- Platform strategy, SEO, and algorithms
- Staying safe across platforms
The cohort meets virtually once a week for six weeks (roughly July 13-August 21), with assignments designed to put new skills into practice right away. Fellows have access to discussion forums with program directors and fellow participants to brainstorm ideas, ask questions, and build community with peers from across rural America.
Stipend
- Each fellow receives a $3,500 stipend for their time and commitment to the program.
Eligibility
- Open to creators who serve communities of 50,000 people or less.
- They should be in the United states.
Application
This program is designed for creators who serve communities of 50,000 people or less. Applications are open until June 7 at midnight ET.
For more information, visit Rural Creator Fellowship.
