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Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat kinds of stories do you fund? We seek out reporting on important stories likely to be bypassed by the mainstream media and stories with the potential to have social impact. Some Investigative Fund stories have sparked resignations of public officials; others have triggered police investigations, Congressional hearings or federal legislation. Still others have changed the debate around a key issue or exposed previously hidden forms of abuse and exploitation. Stories that fill a gap in mainstream reporting or that have the potential for impact will be the strongest contenders for grants. What makes a story "investigative"? By investigative we mean enterprise reporting — digging up stories other reporters haven't found yet or significantly advancing stories that have been covered, but not in depth. Proposals for spot news coverage or political analysis aren't for us. Who can apply? Assigning editors may query us on behalf of reporters. Reporters may also query us directly. Our grants typically go to the reporter or producer to cover direct costs associated with an investigative project, though we occasionally make grants to nonprofit publications or to journalism graduate programs to support team-reported stories. We meet every two to four weeks, or as needed, to review proposals. Our decision-making process is designed to be informal and supportive. If a project has potential but we have questions about your reporting plan or budget request, we'll contact you to ask for revisions. How big are your typical grants? Our grants typically range from $500 to $10,000, and are based on the submission of a detailed budget to justify those costs. Our grants are not designed to replace fees at the host outlet; we expect each outlet to pay an Investigative Fund grantee at least its standard fee. Budget requests should include only direct costs or compensation for reporting time that exceed compensation and reimbursements from the host outlet. Investigative Fund grants are usually paid out in two installments. Do you help place stories? We prefer that reporters already have interest from an assigning editor when they query us, but we do often work with reporters to find an outlet for their stories. Do you fund stories that won't run in The Nation? Yes. In fact, the majority of Investigative Fund stories appear in other outlets. While The Nation Institute is loosely affiliated with The Nation magazine, we are financially and editorially independent of each other. Our mission is to promote independent journalism in a wide variety of public, independent and commercial media. Do you only fund stories for print, or do you also make grants for investigations destined for radio, video, film and on-line outlets? We make grants for investigative reporting in any medium. I am a reporter based outside of the United States. May I apply for a grant? Yes, absolutely. But our grants go to stories that will appear in U.S. media outlets. That said, we are quite open to co-publishing arrangements in which a story appears both in a U.S. and a foreign outlet. Besides making grants, what role do you play? Our editors play a wide variety of roles depending on the host outlet. Sometimes we simply issue a travel grant. Sometimes we do a preliminary edit on a story, in consultation with the assigning editor at the host outlet. When necessary, we also provide fact checking and legal vetting in-house. In some cases, we have sued in support of reporters' FOIA requests. When Investigative Fund stories appear, we assist with publicity work and outreach to communities of interest to increase each story's impact. What does the reporter have to promise in return? We require that you do the reporting outlined in your proposal, and that any significant editorial changes in direction or change in the host outlet be made in consultation with our editors. We also require that you work with us to negotiate an appropriate credit line for the Investigative Fund in the host outlet. If the Investigative Fund turns down my proposal, where else can I go for funding? Here's a partial list of alternatives:
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Working In The ShadowsA Year of Doing the Jobs Americans Won't Do
What is it like to do the back-breaking work of immigrants? To find out, Gabriel Thompson spent a year working alongside Latino immigrants who initially thought he was either crazy or an undercover immigration agent. Combining personal narrative with investigative reporting, Thompson shines a bright light on the underside of the American economy, exposing harsh working conditions, union busting and lax government enforcement—while telling the stories of workers, undocumented immigrants and desperate U.S. citizens alike, forced to live with chronic back pain in the pursuit of $8 an hour. El Monstruo: Book TourFebruary 11 - April 13 | Across the United States
February 11 - May 14
March 14 - 15
March 20 - 21
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