O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism

Deadline: 21 January 2022
Open to: staff-employed or independent journalists residing in the United States or its territories
Benefits: a stipend of $70,000 for nine months

DESCRIPTION

O’Brien Fellows complete an in-depth reporting project of their choosing on a topic of state, regional, national or international interest over two academic semesters. See the Our Work section of their website for examples of the journalism produced by past fellows.

In the past, most Fellows have worked from a home base in the O’Brien newsroom in the Diederich College of Communication at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We accept both remote and residential applications, but give extra weight in the selection process to applicants ready to take up residency in Milwaukee.

Mentor and team with top Marquette journalism students in the pursuit of an investigative or explanatory journalism project.

ELIGIBILITY

We seek applications from staff-employed or independent journalists residing in the United States or its territories.
Applicants should have at least five years of professional experience and produce journalism regularly as an employee or freelancer.
Applicants may be connected to print operations, radio, television, websites, podcasts, online publications, wire services, or magazines of general public interest.
There are no academic prerequisites.

BENEFITS

A stipend of $70,000 for nine months for your salary, paid to your sponsoring organization, or directly to the fellow in the case of independent journalists.

- A residency allowance based on family requirements for fellows moving to the Milwaukee metropolitan area for the duration of the fellowship: up to $4,000 for a single, married or partnered fellow, up to $6,000 for a fellow with one child, up to $7,000 for a fellow with two children, up to $8,000 for a fellow with three or more children. Fellows submit rent receipts from the rental property owner. The allowance is paid in equal monthly installments over the course of the fellowship.
- A moving allowance of up to $5,000. (Fellows from the Milwaukee metropolitan area are not eligible for a moving allowance.)
- A travel and research allowance up to $8,000. This covers project-related travel as well as technology, data and document costs and equipment needs.
- Employee benefits continue to be paid by the fellow’s employer, where applicable. Independent journalists can choose to select Marquette employee health insurance.
- Fellows and their spouses are eligible during the fellowship for tuition remission (up to seven credits) for courses offered by Marquette University.