Funder: Pulitzer Center
Due Dates (Anticipated): September 2027 (Annual application deadline)
Funding Amounts: Reporter’s salary plus up to US$10,000 in reporting expenses for a 12-month fellowship; up to eight fellowships
Summary: Supports experienced journalists worldwide pursuing year-long, in-depth investigations into ocean threats and the drivers of marine degradation.
Key Information: All applicants need a supporting media outlet and must commit full-time to their ocean investigation.
Description
The Pulitzer Center’s Ocean Reporting Network (ORN) supports freelance and staff journalists undertaking sustained investigations into the degradation of marine environments. Launched in May 2023, the network funds reporting on climate change, overfishing and illegal fishing, pollution, biodiversity loss, and impacts on species, ecosystems, and coastal communities. It seeks concrete, deeply reported stories rather than one-off articles or coverage of a general theme.
Run through the Center’s Environmental Investigations Unit, ORN combines salary and reporting support with editorial mentorship, specialized training, data and research assistance, and audience engagement support. Fellows work collaboratively across a worldwide network while retaining editorial independence with their outlets. The program aims to expand and diversify ocean journalism, expose systemic wrongdoing and harmful supply chains, and bring underreported ocean issues to broader public attention.
