Chaplaincy Innovation Lab Fellowship in Spiritual Care Journalism (US)

These profiles are part of an academic project studying opportunities for spiritual care across the American population with particular attention to interfaith encounters. A team of eight journalists based in the United States will publish long form magazine pieces (ideally of 2,000-6,000 words) or professionally produced audio or video documentary profiles of 5 to 15 minutes in length.

The Chaplaincy Innovation Lab will share the pieces on the Lab’s website and expect the journalists to secure publication of their pieces in respected journalistic outlets. They will also ask the journalists to participate in a public webinar at the conclusion of the project to share their findings with Lab audiences.

Journalists will retain all rights to their stories with a perpetual license to the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab to store, display, and distribute the products on the website. If the professional outlet where journalists place their work requires first North American serial rights that is fine as long the agreement does not interfere with the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab’s ability to post the piece on its website in perpetuity. The Chaplaincy Innovation Lab will provide text for an acknowledgement to be included with any published work.

Goals

• The purpose of this project is to significantly enhance public awareness both of chaplains’ availability and what it is they do for care seekers. As they learned in research conducted in collaboration with Gallup, many people do not understand who chaplains are, why they work where they do, how they are trained, and when and how they are available to individuals, families, and communities.
• Chaplains are almost always an unseen resource and this project aims to begin correcting that. These stories will also help them learn much more about care seekers and care recipients – who they are and why they have sought chaplains, as well as the outcomes of those interactions – than they could learn in a national survey.

Phases

• They have studied the issue of spiritual care in three major phases:
  • the training and education of chaplains (the “supply” side),
  • the utilization of spiritual care by individuals, families, and communities (the “demand” side), and
  • the gaps between these two sides.

Funding Information

• The Chaplaincy Innovation Lab will pay a $5000 stipend upon acceptance of the journalistic work.

Eligibility Criteria

• Professional journalists who work in print, online, audio and video may apply.
• Journalists may be freelancers or on staff, as long as staff have the support of their supervisor/editorial staff to devote time to this project.
• While young journalists are encouraged to apply, professional publishing experience is required.
• Journalists should have a proven ability to report complex stories and take usable photographs.
• Applicants must demonstrate a strong interest in religion reporting, though previous experience in religion writing is not required.
• Journalists must be fluent in English.
• The application and final products must be submitted in English.

For more information, visit CIL.