Deadline: Ongoing
The Tarbell is seeking applications 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.
As artificial intelligence grows more advanced, the technology and the people making it are increasingly consequential. They believe journalism will play a crucial role in helping the public understand AI — and in holding companies and policymakers to account.
Funding Information
- Tarbell Grants offers awards of $1,000 – $15,000 to support journalism on AI and its impacts.
What they are looking for?
- Experienced journalists: They 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. They accept applications from both freelance and staff reporters.
- Neglected stories: They are keen to fund stories and investigations that will not otherwise be published.
- Readership: They hope grantees’ stories will be read widely, and by people with decision-making power. They encourage applicants to apply with a letter showing interest from an editor at an established publication.
- Impact: They care about stories that make a difference. They hope the stories they fund will lead to meaningful change in the world, whether that be raising awareness of an underdiscussed harm, or catalyzing policy change.
Eligibility Criteria
- They welcome applications from anywhere in the world, as long as the individuals qualify based on legal restrictions and compliance measures.
- Teams of journalists are very welcome to apply.
Application Requirements
- Please apply via their application form, which asks for basic information about you and your story.
- 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.
- They encourage applicants to apply with a letter showing interest from an editor. If you do not have such a letter, they can consider your submission for publication on Transformer, or help you pitch it elsewhere.
- Grants will be evaluated on a rolling basis. They aim to evaluate all grants within a month. If your story is time-sensitive, you can ask them to expedite the evaluation process. All shortlisted applications will be reviewed by at least two members of their judging panel.
- They have a finite pool of funding for their first tranche of grants. As applications are evaluated on a rolling basis they encourage you to submit your proposals early.
For more information, visit Tarbell.
