Application Deadline: July 12, 2026 11:59 pm EDT
Applications are now open for the 2026/2027 Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Fellowships. The Al Accountability Fellowships seek to support journalists working on in-depth AI accountability stories that examine governments’ and corporations’ uses of predictive, generative, and surveillance technologies to guide decisions in policing, medicine, social welfare, criminal justice, hiring, and more.
The 10-month Fellowship will provide journalists up to $25,000 (up to $20,000 for reporting and $5,000 for engagement activities). The funds can be used to pay for records requests, travel expenses, and data analysis. Engagement expenses can include venue rentals, event refreshments, printing costs for photo exhibitions, flyers, etc., and social media ads, among other costs. Freelancers can budget up to ⅓ of the total budget for a stipend. In addition, the Fellows will have access to mentors and relevant training with a group of peers that will help strengthen their reporting projects.
Requirements
- Staff or freelance journalists working on a wide range of platforms, including print, radio, video, and multimedia.
- Team players with the experience and/or ability to work collaboratively across newsrooms and borders.
- Reporters with a deep interest in how AI impacts the world, and why this issue matters to our global well-being.
- Reporters willing to participate in outreach activities related to their investigations, such as events at schools, universities, and public-facing events.
- Reporters can be based anywhere. The Fellowships are remote.
- Fellowship communication, meetings, and training will be in English, but Fellows can publish in any language.
Benefits
- The opportunity to work on an urgent, underreported issue for a substantial period of time.
- Access to mentors and specialized training opportunities.
- Pro bono legal and public records access support.
- A community of like-minded colleagues that will continue beyond your Fellowship.
- Financial support to cover records requests, travel expenses, data analysis, and stipends.
- The opportunity to find strong collaborators for your project or future projects.
Financial Support
- The Fellows are eligible to receive up to $25,000 divided in three payments.
Application Procedure:
To apply, you will be asked to provide the following:
- A short statement of purpose: how this Fellowship fits in your career path and why you are best positioned to be an Al Accountability Fellow. (500 words)
- A detailed description of the reporting project you seek to pursue during your Fellowship. Please do not propose general themes, but propose a concrete project that shows some pre-reporting on the subject. A compelling, well-researched project proposal with a reporting plan will help you stand out among hundreds of applicants. (500 words)
- An engagement plan: what activities you could facilitate to maximize the impact of your project, and to ensure it reaches the audiences who could most benefit from engaging with this reporting.
- A budget that lays out anticipated costs of the project. Categories may include records requests, software, data analysis, travel and lodging, and stipends. If your budget exceeds the maximum amount provided for this Fellowship ($25,000), please include your other funding sources that will allow you to complete this project.
- Three examples (links) of your best stories published in the past three years (not necessarily on artificial intelligence).
- A letter of commitment or interest from a media organization(s) that would publish your story(ies). If you are a staff reporter, a signed letter from your editor or newsroom manager confirming you have their support in applying for the AI Accountability Fellowship. This letter should explicitly state that your newsroom will allocate time for you to participate in the Fellowship activities and the newsroom will support publishing the stories you produce through this Fellowship. It can also include information on why your manager thinks you would be suited for this Fellowship.
- Three professional references: These can be either contact information or letters of recommendation.
- A copy of your resume or curriculum vitae.
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Fellowships
