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Application FAQ

* What is the most common reason a letter of inquiry is rejected by the Journalism Program?

Thinking that an idea is new, when, in reality, many others, including our current grantees, are already doing it.

That's why it's important to review our current journalism grants to see if a proposed project duplicates or is similar to what we already fund. We try to give grants to those projects that could create a lasting, visible change in the way news flows and journalism is done, ones that offer smart investment opportunities because of their innovations and ones that can be self-supporting.

* Can an individual or an organization outside of the U.S. apply for a grant?

Yes. It's especially encouraged as part of the Knight News Challenge. For general journalism inquiries, Knight routinely awards grants to nonprofit journalism organizations located in the United States. But exceptions can be made.

* Who decides whether a grant should be made?

Knight Foundation’s president and trustees approve grants based on information provided by grantees and recommendations from foundation staff and advisory committees.

* How can I "apply" for a grant?

Organizations interested in applying for a grant should contact the program director from one of our three programs:

* Can organizations outside of Knight communities apply for a grant?

Our Journalism Program is international in scope. However, Knight only awards grants to nonprofit journalism institutions located in the United States. In our Communities Program, we will seek to work with local and national organizations capable of helping our communities achieve their priority outcomes.

Journalism Program : The Journalism Program is international in scope and awards grants to nonprofit institutions throughout the United States.
Communities Program : In our Knight Community Partners Program, we will seek to work with local organizations capable of helping our communities realize their priority outcomes.
National and New Initiatives : Must benefit at least one of the Knight Communities.

* When and how does an applicant find out if a grant has been made?

All applicants will be notified by mail of the foundation’s final decision regarding their proposal. We discourage phone calls from applicants regarding the status of a query or proposal.

* Are there journalism projects Knight Foundation doesn’t fund?

Yes. We don't fund journalism scholarships or tuition for individuals. We don't fund ongoing support for an individual media outlet. We don't fund individual school media, because we already fund www.highschooljournalism.org, a scholastic journalism site that offers lesson plans, including a national radio curriculum; advice from pros; information on partnership grants with professional newspapers and television and radio stations; and the free hosting of online newspapers for any U.S. elementary, middle or high school. We don't usually fund content, including individual documentaries, because it's simply not possible to fund all the world's content, and except for journalism about journalism, we don't have the staff expertise to judge all possible documentary candidates. We also don't fund fellowships, except for the ones in our current portfolio. Instead, we are now funding programs that use digital media to reach thousands of journalists. That said, we'll break our own rules if someone has a really big new idea.