COVID-19, Vaccines, and Global Health Inequities – Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting

The Pulitzer Center is seeking applications for enterprise and underreported stories about COVID-19 inequities and other U.S. and global health system failures. Were interested in systemic barriers to all sorts of care, including, but not limited to, COVID-19 vaccines and treatment. Were also interested in stories about misinformation and politicization that impede improved access to care and preparation for future health crises. This opportunity is open to all newsrooms and independent journalists in the United States and abroad.

COVID-19 laid bare what was clear to many already: With some exceptions, health systems around the world are woefully underresourced or inaccessible to many who arent wealthy.

COVID-19 spread rapidly among essential but often lower-paid U.S. workers who were unable to shelter and work at home. Despite lessons learned from the pandemic, even routine health care remains beyond reach for many in the worlds richest country. A disturbing number of U.S. residents also continue to shun vaccines, influenced by misinformation.

Globally, millions of people in low- and middle-income countries are unable to access vaccines. And some also harbor fear of inoculation. The pandemic and other crises have also contributed to a global surge in mental health problems, yet mental health care often remains taboo and unaffordable.

Were interested in reporting projects about underreported COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 health inequities, as well as solutions in the works.For inspiration, here are a few recent projects we supported:

We aim to support teams that reflect the communities they report on. We hope this grant can help our partner organizations advance their diversity, equity, and inclusion goals and commitments.

We accept grant proposals on a rolling basis.

Please refer to Tips for Writing a Successful Pulitzer Center Grant Proposal for more information on how to apply.

The COVID-19, Vaccines, and Global Health Inequities grant is funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and general operating support.

Who is eligible to apply?

This opportunity is open to U.S. residents and journalists around the world. We are open to proposals from freelance journalists, staff journalists, or groups of newsrooms working in collaboration with a project idea. We want to make sure that people from many backgrounds and perspectives are empowered to produce journalism. We strongly encourage proposals from journalists and newsrooms who represent a broad array of social, racial, ethnic, underrepresented groups, and economic backgrounds.

When will you be notifying applicants on whether they've been selected?

We begin reviewing applications as soon as they are received and typically notify applicants within a month if they're being considered for support. If there is some urgency to the field reporting, the applicant should state the reason in the application.

What is the budget range for proposals?

We do not have a budget range. We will consider projects of any scope and size, and we are open to supporting multiple projects each year.

Do you pay stipends or salaries for freelance journalists?

We expect news organizations to pay freelance journalists for their work, though in exceptional cases, we may consider stipends to cover a reporter's time, if provided in the budget with an explanation. It is OK to include costs of contractors, such as data researchers, illustrators, or data visualization/story designers in your proposal and budget. Please do not include stipends for journalists/team members who are in the employ of newsrooms or are being paid by a publisher.

Email Pulitzer Center Senior Editor Susan Ferriss at sferriss@pulitzercenter.org. We check emails daily and look forward to hearing from you.

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COVID-19, Vaccines, and Global Health Inequities - Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting