CFAs: Rainforest Investigations Network Fellowship Program

The RIN Fellowship fosters collaboration among journalists to investigate the financial incentives, illegal activities, and global supply chains driving industrial-scale deforestation.

RIN Fellows will pursue both individual and joint investigative projects, examining the root causes and structural drivers of deforestation across the three main tropical rainforest regions: The Amazon, the Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia.

Focus Areas

• Investigations into financial enablers and the accountability of financiers in environmental destruction.
• Corruption in public procurement related to deforestation or unsustainable development.

Benefits

• The opportunity to work on impactful investigations that are time-consuming and costly.
• A global network of investigative reporters who will aid your investigations and complement your skills.
• Access to data and documents as well as the opportunity to sharpen your data skills with support from the Pulitzer Center’s Data and Research team.
• Specialized training opportunities such as the use of satellite imagery and other digital tools in investigations, corporate and follow-the-money research, and more.
• The opportunity to work and collaborate with other journalists on stories that transcend your country and region and can achieve true global impact.
• A community of like-minded colleagues that will continue beyond your fellowship.
• Salaries commensurate with experience.

What are they looking for?

• They are seeking seasoned investigative journalists—whether they are on staff or working with a host outlet as a freelancer—who are from the tropical rainforest regions or focus on these regions in their reporting. They also accept collaborations with local and global media outlets.
• This is a full-time, yearlong fellowship that provides financial support, covering the reporter’s salary (or part of it, depending on variables such as location and experience). Additional support will be provided to the journalist’s reporting expenses, such as travel and hiring of consultants.
• They are particularly interested in investigative projects that take a cross-border approach, connecting local drivers of forest destruction with global supply chains. They will work closely with selected Fellows to connect them with potential partners within the network.
• They also have three places in the cohort reserved for investigations focused on transparency and governance. These projects should prioritize themes and issues that shed light on financial mechanisms and legal loopholes behind unsustainable supply chains.

Eligibility Criteria

• Experienced investigative journalists with a proven track record covering the Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia regions.
• Reporters based in countries outside the three main tropical rainforest regions—Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia—may also apply but will need to focus their reporting during the fellowship on stories related to these regions.
• Staff or freelance journalists working on a wide range of platforms, including print, radio, video, and multimedia. Freelance reporters will need to have the support of a local or international newsroom that agrees to host them and publish the work they produce during the fellowship.
• Team players with the experience and/or ability to work collaboratively across newsrooms and borders.
• Reporters with a deep understanding of the scientific, environmental, social, legal, political, and commercial forces at play in deforestation and forest degradation around the world—and why this issue matters to their global well-being.
• Reporters willing to participate in outreach activities related to their investigations, such as meetings in communities and visits to schools and universities.

Application Requirements

• A statement of purpose: How does this fellowship fit in your career path and why are you best positioned to be a Rainforest Investigations Network Fellow? You may also include how collaboration with journalists from other regions can benefit your investigations or how you might be able to assist them. (500 words)
• An investigative project proposal describing the most ambitious rainforest reporting you seek to pursue during your fellowship. Please do not propose general themes, but offer concrete investigative projects that aim to uncover systemic wrongdoing/abuse that is unknown or hidden. It is expected that by the time you apply you have already done pre-reporting to determine the scope, feasibility, and novelty of the project. A compelling, well-researched project proposal with a reporting plan will help you stand out among hundreds of applicants. If the investigation includes a cross-border approach, explain your collaboration plan and identify partners outside and within the network. (1,000 words)
• Three examples (links) of your most impactful investigations published in the past three years.
• A letter of support from your media employer or a newsroom that has agreed to host you as a Rainforest Investigations Network Fellow and publish your work.
• Three professional references: These can be either contact information or letters of recommendation.
• A copy of your résumé or curriculum vitae.

For more information, visit Pulitzer Center.