Leonard C. Goodman Institute for Investigative Reporting

The Institute provides editorial and financial support to journalists pursuing in-depth investigative projects that align with In These Times’ mission of advancing economic, racial, social and climate justice. We offer story-specific grants for investigative features and series to be published in In These Times magazine and InTheseTimes.com. Our goal is to provide resources and a platform to crucial stories that would otherwise not be heard.

The Institute recognizes the tremendous amount of time and labor that goes into investigative reporting, and we are committed to compensating writers fairly for their work. Journalists whose proposals are accepted by the Institute will thus be awarded contracts in amounts up to $10,000, along with compensation for travel and reporting expenses.

Call For Proposals

The next deadline for proposals is Monday, April 10, 2023 at midnight PST. While we will consider proposals on any investigative topic, at this time we are especially interested in stories that examine the following issues:

Corporate capture of government
The forces undermining a climate transition
U.S. militarism and empire
Labor practices
Native issues
Systemic racism

Investigations that are unlikely to be pursued elsewhere receive priority.

To submit a proposal, send an email to investigations at inthesetimes dot com with the subject line “Goodman Institute Submission.” Please include all of the following in a single Word or Google document not to exceed 1,300 words:

A brief (200−300 word) summary of the issue, the new information you hope to uncover, and how you will do so
Briefly, any further context needed to understand your topic
At least 3 links to the most significant reporting on the topic, and an explanation of how your findings will go beyond previous reporting
Your reporting plan, including proposed original sources (public records requests, interviewees, confidential sources, court documents, data, etc.) and any travel
A brief summary of your journalistic experience, including 2-3 links to previous work

Formatting requirements: Proposals should be in one Word or Google document, with section headings in bold and minimal special formatting. Please use 12-point Times New Roman font and single line spacing.

The process:

+ Application

The Institute aims to respond speedily to proposals and support and compensate reporters throughout the application process.

You will typically receive notification of whether your application is a semi-finalist within 4 weeks of the application deadline, and a final answer within 6 weeks.

Semi-finalists will be asked a round of follow-up questions and to submit estimated reporting expenses. The Institute offers a stipend of $200 for the additional work required.

Once an application is finalized, it will be reviewed by the Institute’s selection committee for a final grant determination.

+ Awardees

Stories selected for funding typically receive a story contract of up to $10,000 to cover the story fee and living expenses. The fee will be subdivided into installments tied to deliverables, beginning with a $2,000 signing fee. The Institute will work with you on an initial reporting plan to hone the scope, timeline and expectations of findings. Once your findings are accepted, the Institute will work with you on an investigative article or series for publication in In These Times magazine and/or on InTheseTimes.com.

+ Research contracts

Instead of a story contract, some proposals may receive an initial $2,000 research contract to develop reporting. Upon completion, they will be considered for a full story contract. Reporters whose projects are not awarded a full story contract retain the rights to any research completed, but are encouraged to keep in touch about future reporting developments that may warrant further consideration.

For more details, see inthesetimes.com/investigative.