Grants
$1,000 - $15,000 for original reporting on artificial intelligence and its impacts.
About
As artificial intelligence grows more advanced, the technology and the people making it are increasingly consequential. We believe journalism will play a crucial role in helping the public understand AI — and in holding companies and policymakers to account.
Tarbell Grants offers awards of $1,000 - $15,000 to support journalism on AI and its impacts.
We seek to fund established journalists to pursue original reporting on current & future harms from frontier models, investigate the inner workings of leading AI companies, and scrutinize lobbying efforts shaping AI policy. We are also excited to support explanatory reporting that helps the public understand complicated topics in AI.
Pitches we'd like to see
Harms from AI: How artificial intelligence is harming people around the world today, and how it might harm them in future. e.g. pieces on deepfake CSAM, cybersecurity, racial bias, and biosecurity.
Investigations into frontier AI companies: What is happening inside AI companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind and Meta. e.g. concerns workers have about their employers, or practices that are silencing them.
AI policy: Stories on AI policy developments in key regions, such as the US, EU and China, and how lobbying efforts are trying to shape policy. e.g. reporting on AI regulatory agencies and the difficulties they are facing; AI companies’ lobbying efforts; and other efforts to influence AI regulation.
Explainers: Pieces that help the public understand complex topics in artificial intelligence. e.g. the difficulties of AI evaluations, or an overview of AI interpretability.
Anything else: We also welcome pitches on topics not listed here.
Experienced journalists. We expect most successful applicants to have a strong background in journalism, ideally in AI or technology reporting. Journalists with an investigative background are particularly encouraged to apply. We accept applications from both freelance and staff reporters.
Neglected stories. We are keen to fund stories and investigations that will not otherwise be published.
Readership. We hope grantees' stories will be read widely, and by people with decision-making power. We encourage applicants to apply with a letter showing interest from an editor at an established publication.
Impact. We care about stories that make a difference. We hope the stories we fund will lead to meaningful change in the world, whether that be raising awareness of an underdiscussed harm, or catalyzing policy change.
Please do not rule yourself out because of these criteria, though. If you have a strong story idea and believe you have what it takes to write it, please pitch us.
What we look for
How to apply
Please apply via our application form, which asks for basic information about you and your story. To be considered for the first round of grants, apply by end of the day on Dec 20th, 2024.
Submissions will be accepted from all experienced journalists: both staff writers/editors and freelancers are welcome to apply for grants. (For staff writers, your publication must be able to accept donations.)
A background in reporting on AI and/or technology is desirable, but not essential.
We encourage applicants to apply with a letter showing interest from an editor. If you do not have such a letter, we can consider your submission for publication on Transformer, or help you pitch it elsewhere.
Grants will be evaluated on a rolling basis. We aim to evaluate all grants within a month. If your story is time-sensitive, you can ask us to expedite the evaluation process. All shortlisted applications will be reviewed by at least two members of our judging panel.
We have a finite pool of funding for the first tranche of grants submitted before Dec 20th. As applications are evaluated on a rolling basis we encourage you to submit your proposals early.
If you have any questions about the application process, please contact shakeel@tarbellfellowship.org.
The first round of Tarbell Grants is generously supported by the Future of Life Institute. Our donors have no involvement in the grant selection process. If you're interested in supporting the next round, you can donate here or get in touch.
Judging Panel
All grants will be evaluated by at least two of our judges.
FAQ
What can I use the money for?
Your grant money can be used for any costs incurred in producing the story, including the costs of your time. This is true for both freelancers and staff reporters. You can also use the money for other reporting expenses, such as travel or purchasing data sources.
Do you expect publications to contribute to reporting costs?
No. We are happy to fully fund stories from both freelancers and staff reporters. We are, however, more likely to fund stories where publications do contribute.
Can teams apply?
Yes, teams of journalists are very welcome to apply. Please submit a single application, and in the “about you” section provide information for each team member. Please decide in advance how your team will split the grant money and let us know in the budget section of the application form.
I live in [country]. Can I apply?
We welcome applications from anywhere in the world, as long as the individuals qualify based on legal restrictions and compliance measures.
Can I submit multiple applications?
To help us manage the volume of applications, we ask that you only submit one application at a time. If we reject your application, feel free to apply again with a different idea.
Do I need to have a publication venue finalized?
Not at the time of application, though we encourage applicants to apply with a letter showing interest from an editor. The ideal letter is something like “if Tarbell funds this piece, we will publish it.”
Before we make a final decision, we would normally like you to have an outlet committed to publishing the story. If we’re excited about your piece but you don’t have an outlet secured, we’ll likely tell you that we’ll fund the story if you can find an outlet, allowing you to pitch your piece with our commitment. If we’re particularly excited about the story but you cannot find a suitable outlet, we will offer to publish it on Transformer.
How do we need to credit you?
We ask that all published stories include the following line: “This story was supported by Tarbell Grants.”
Is editorial independence guaranteed?
Yes. You are free to publish whatever you (and your editors) like.
Do you edit projects?
No, unless you have chosen for your story to be published in Transformer (in which case it will be edited by Shakeel Hashim, the publication’s editor).
Will you help with my reporting?
If you would like help, we’re very happy to offer guidance and support. We can discuss the story with you, suggest people for you to talk to, and make introductions if needed. But this is entirely up to you: we’re equally happy to take a completely hands-off approach.
Do I need to keep you updated on the progress of my story?
Not proactively, but if you are working on a longer duration story we may check in to see how things are going, and we expect you to give us an update if we do. We also ask all grantees to tell us when a story is published.