Deadline: July 15, 2016
With support from the Shuttleworth Foundation, the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter is offering two fellowships. The fellowships are aimed at fact-checkers seeking to spend time embedded at a fact-checking organization in another country in order to be exposed to best practices they can adopt.
These are entirely self-organized fellowships: Applicants must specify the organization they want to visit, pitch a detailed plan including the duration and what they seek to learn from the experience. They ought to spend at least one week with the partner organization.
Fellowship
- Though the preference is to award two fellowships worth $2,500 each, exceptional projects for which a higher budget is indispensable can apply for $5,000 and be considered.
Eligibility
- Applicants must hail from a fact-checking organization with a public working method, transparent funding sources, and a commitment to nonpartisanship.
Selection Criteria
Applications will be assessed along the following metrics:
- Concrete takeaways for fellow (6 points). To what extent is the visiting fact-checker seeking to learn something specific and practical from the fellowship that it will subsequently implement in his/her own work?
- Benefit for host organization (2 points). To what extent will the hosts also benefit from the visiting fellow?
- Potential benefits for other fact-checkers (1 points). Could the fellowship catalyze interesting projects that go beyond the host and visiting organizations?
- Necessity of funding (1 point). How likely is it that the visiting fact-checker would be able to arrange a similar exchange via other funding channels?
Application Process
The application package must include:
- A letter of no more than two pages detailing the specific objective(s) of the fellowship and the rationale behind the choice of objectives and organization. It should also include a rough draft of the program for the duration of the fellowship, listing possible activities and meetings (applicants reaching the interview phase will be asked to provide a more detailed plan).
- A breakdown of the costs of the fellowship indicating estimates for each expenditure as well as any additional costs not covered by this grant that the visiting or host fact-checker may incur through this fellowship.
- A letter of no more than one page from the host organization indicating their willingness (ideally, eagerness) to welcome the fellow.
- A brief overview of the visiting organization’s budget.
Applications should be emailed in a single file to [email protected] by July 15. Interviews will be conducted with any organization scoring 8 points or above. A final decision will be made by July 30. The exchange must take place by January 31, 2017.
For more information, visit Poynter International Fact-checking Fellowship.
