Tarbell Institutional Grants: from $50,000 to over $500,000 for media worldwide for journalism on artificial intelligence, apply by 11 December

The Tarbell Center for AI Journalism has launched its Institutional Grants programme, dedicated to expanding capacity for ambitious, independent reporting on artificial intelligence worldwide. The donor plans to distribute at least $10 million in funding by the end of 2027 to help newsrooms demystify technical developments, monitor policy, and scrutinize frontier AI labs.

Grants range from $50,000 to over $500,000 per award and are paid directly to news organizations. The program supports both established outlets and new ventures seeking to build dedicated reporting units, investigative teams, or sustained coverage series. The deadline for this initial open application round is December 11, 2026.

What is funded

Funding is directed toward building institutional reporting capacity on artificial intelligence rather than supporting single pitches. Eligible expenses include setting up new reporting teams, establishing investigative units, launching dedicated AI verticals within existing outlets, or creating entirely new media ventures and ongoing series.

Projects must focus predominantly on one or more of eight key areas identified by the donor. These include AI’s transformative potential, foundational explainers and technical analysis, accountability reporting on frontier AI firms, investigations into AI lobbying and campaign financing, policy coverage across jurisdictions such as the US, UK, and EU, developments in China, incident reporting, and labor market impacts.

Who can apply

The call is open to both non-profit and for-profit media organizations, as well as distribution platforms from around the world. There is no minimum newsroom size required, meaning established major newsrooms, small and medium enterprises, and emerging ventures are eligible.

Applicants must possess the legal and administrative ability to accept grant funding directly. The donor prefers outlets and journalistic teams that have an established, influential audience and a demonstrable track record of producing high-impact journalism that reaches decision-makers.

Conditions and requirements

Grantees retain complete editorial independence over their reporting, which is a core principle of the Tarbell Center. While the initiative is currently structured around primarily one-year grants, multi-year support for two years or more is expected to become standard as the programme evolves.

Proposals are evaluated against specific criteria, including counterfactual value, potential for societal impact, reach, feasibility, and viewpoint diversity. The donor prioritizes journalism that would be unlikely to occur without philanthropic support, while requiring a realistic operational plan to achieve stated aims.

Practical tip. Clearly demonstrate counterfactual impact by showing why this reporting cannot be financed through your standard editorial budget, and specify how your findings will reach influential audiences or inform policy debates.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted online before the open round closes on December 11, 2026. Applicants should prepare an overview of the proposed team and their assigned responsibilities, along with evidence of current or projected audience reach.

The submission requires a detailed project budget, information on any existing external project funding, a requested grant duration, and specific examples of the editorial work the team intends to produce with the grant resources.

Applications are submitted on the donor’s page: tarbellcenter.org.