Call for Applications for Knight-Wallace Fellowships 2026-2027 is Open!!!
Knight-Wallace Fellowships offer accomplished journalists two rare commodities: time and resources. Journalists eager for growth and deeply committed to the future of journalism spend an academic year at the University of Michigan to access the resources of a world-class university and dive into a journalism project. Areas of focus can include, but are not limited to, sharpening professional skills, addressing a challenge facing your newsroom, digging into data and research for a long-term reporting project, or developing a journalism venture.
Up to 20 Fellows will be selected from all facets of journalism who are ready to take the next career step. It will be an eight-month program from late August through April of immersive study away from daily deadlines.
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For the 2026-27 academic year, the Wallace Center is building on its long-running fellowships with two new fellowships focused on areas critical to the future of journalism.
The Great Lakes Local News Fellowship and Arts Journalism Fellowship will allow selected journalists to be members of the Knight-Wallace Fellowship class and pursue directed study in entrepreneurship, data-driven survey research, and cross-disciplinary arts research. Applicants for these two new fellowships should apply using our general application.
The Great Lakes Local News Fellowship supports two journalists or strategists developing locally focused news projects across six Midwestern states. Meanwhile, the Arts Journalism Fellowship, offered in collaboration with the university’s Arts Initiative, addresses the decline of arts coverage in U.S. media by supporting arts-focused journalists. Fellows benefit from immersive professional development, engaging with scholars, creators, and students passionate about arts writing.
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- Youth Opportunities: https://m.me/j/AbZTmgEzD1UchDte/
2. Fully Funded Conferences: https://m.me/j/AbZTfhFTiPCnXf2D/
3. Full Scholarships: https://m.me/j/AbbrjbkOMM6I68Cs/
4. Paid Internships/Jobs: https://m.me/j/AbaAskb6jFFnRser/
5. Circle: https://m.me/j/AbY0vVKSPJULUnE4/
All Fellows awarded the in-person fellowship must maintain residency in Ann Arbor for the duration of the fellowship, attend all program seminars and events, and make the fellowship their primary professional focus.
Timeline:
- For International Journalists: The deadline to apply for the 2026-2027 academic year is December 1, 2025. Offers for international Knight-Wallace Fellows will be extended by mid-February 2026.
- For U.S. Journalists: The deadline to apply for the 2026-2027 academic year was February 1, 2026. Offers for Knight-Wallace Fellows with U.S. citizenship will be extended by early May 2026.
The 2026-2027 academic year begins in late August 2026. Fellows are expected to arrive in Ann Arbor by mid-August.
Location:
United StatesBenefits
- Individual journalism projects designed to develop topical depth, gain new skills, address a newsroom challenge or explore a journalism venture
- Specialized resources and access to faculty at the University of Michigan
- Private seminars with newsroom leaders, change agents and world-renowned experts for candid, off-the-record conversations
- Workshops to sharpen professional skills and leadership ability
- International travel to bring context to the political, economic and social forces shaping news coverage
- $85,000 stipend plus $5,000 for relocation distributed monthly from August through April for living expenses (costs for health insurance, auditing courses, and participating in required workshops and fellowship activities paid for by Wallace House)
- Individual relocation support and assistance with finding and securing housing to meet each Fellow’s housing needs
- Spouses and partners are invited to participate in fellowship activities and audit university courses as well
Eligibilities
- Must have a minimum of five years of experience and currently be working in some aspect of journalism for a news organization or as an independent journalist.
- Open to reporters, editors, data experts, visual journalists, audio producers, engagement specialists, designers, developers, entrepreneurs, and organizational change agents.
Application Process
- Applicants are required to apply via the general Knight-Wallace Fellowship U.S. application on the OpenWater platform given in the “apply now” below. Then, they are to create an account and provide the following information and documents:
- Contact and demographic information
- Resume with education, positions, and awards.
- Personal statement (within 1500 words)
- Journalism project proposal (within 500 words)
- Work Samples (preferably 3 samples; should be from the past 3 years)
- As for the two specialized fellowship requirements, they are to address the specialty focus and requirements as outlined on the official page in the personal statement and work sample essays.
- Deadlines: Applications for U.S. journalists close on February 1, 2026. Meanwhile, applications for international journalists (without U.S. passports) close on December 1, 2025.
Application Deadline: December 2, 2025 (17 Days Remaining)
Apply nowOfficial link
