NIEMAN-BERKMAN KLEIN FELLOWSHIP IN JOURNALISM INNOVATION

Last date to apply: 01/12/2025 The last date to apply for this fellowship is December 01, 2025.

All applicants for academic-year Nieman Fellowships, including freelancers, must be working journalists with at least five years of full-time media experience. Journalism-related work completed as a university student does not count as professional experience. Professionals who work in public relations or in a position whose primary focus is not the media are not eligible to apply. During the two years prior to applying, an applicant should not have participated in a fellowship lasting four months or longer. Candidates nominate themselves for Nieman Fellowships by submitting an application and supplementary materials. There are no age limits or academic prerequisites, and a college degree is not required. After candidates have been chosen, they must agree in writing to honor all leave stipulations made with their employers; to refrain from professional work during the fellowship year, except as approved by the Nieman curator; and to complete work in a minimum of one course per semester and honor commitments made to faculty as a condition of auditing a class. Fellows also must remain in residence in the Cambridge area while classes are in session and participate in all Nieman Foundation programs.

Stated amount: 7,136,400 Nieman Fellows receive a stipend of $85,000 or 71,36,476.75 Indian Rupee paid over a nine-month period to cover living costs. The Nieman Foundation also provides a health insurance supplement (up to $6,000 each for the fellow and a spouse, and up to $3,500 for each child younger than 18) and a childcare allowance for children 12 and younger that ranges from $10,000 to $16,000 depending on the number of children, with an additional $10,000 if a child is aged three or younger. This table outlines the childcare allowances depending on the ages and number of children. Fellows are not eligible for health care insurance through Harvard University. Individuals who are unable to retain their current health insurance would have the option of purchasing a plan through the Massachusetts Health Connector, which is an independent state agency that serves as a marketplace for MA residents to find, compare, and enroll in health insurance. Nieman additionally covers the cost of attending Harvard classes for fellows and their affiliates. Affiliates are the partners and spouses of fellows. They enjoy many of the same privileges as fellows and may attend classes, use Harvard libraries and other facilities, and are welcome to participate in almost all Nieman activities. Because funds from the original Nieman bequest are restricted to U.S. citizens, International Nieman Fellows are encouraged to work with Nieman staff to find financial support from foundations and journalism organizations in the fellows’ home countries. However, obtaining outside funding is not a condition of being selected for a fellowship; all Nieman Fellows – international and domestic – receive the same stipend and allowances throughout the fellowship year. The Nieman Foundation works with several international foundations that provide stipendiary support to citizens of certain nations or regions of the world. Each year, the Nieman Foundation awards paid fellowships to up to 24 journalists working in print, broadcast, digital and audiovisual media.

No Information Available. Application Requirements All Nieman Fellowship applicants must complete an online application form. Candidates for academic-year fellowships must submit the following information as part of their package: two essays; a professional profile and study plan summary; work samples and three letters of recommendation. Candidates for the Nieman Visiting Fellowships complete a streamlined application that requires only biographical information, a résumé and a project proposal. Questions about the application process may be sent to fellowship program administrator Nicole Arias. Essays With the exception of Nieman Visiting Fellowship applicants, all fellowship candidates must submit two essays: a personal statement and a proposal for study at Harvard. These essays are equally important parts of the application and selection committee members review them carefully. When writing, include examples from your life and work that demonstrate that you have a significant capacity for growth and leadership. We also want to know how a year at Harvard will help make you a better journalist. Please observe word limits. Personal statement The personal statement is an essay of 1,000 words or less that describes your journalistic experience, career plans and goals. What experiences in life and in journalism have shaped you? What personal and journalistic values and intellectual interests have influenced your decision to apply? What motivates your commitment to journalistic excellence? What are your aspirations for your life ahead in journalism? Why have you chosen this time for a transformative experience away from work? Proposal for study at Harvard The study proposal is an essay of 500 words or less that describes how you plan to spend a year at Harvard. What will you study during the fellowship year? What is the driving question or interest that will shape your year? It is not necessary to specify course titles, but please identify the resources at Harvard and in the Cambridge area that will serve your goals in journalism. Candidates applying for a Nieman-Berkman Fellowship for Journalism Innovation should explain how their proposed projects or course of research could have impact on the broader world of journalism. Project proposal for visiting fellowship candidates The project proposal is an essay of 600 words or less that describes the project you plan to pursue as a visiting fellow at Harvard. Which particular Harvard or local resources will be especially important and useful? How, specifically, will you use your fellowship time to advance the project? What will be the end product or result of your fellowship? How will your work benefit journalism? As you prepare your proposal, it may be helpful for you to read about the many diverse projects undertaken by our recent visiting fellows. Summaries Send two summaries: a professional profile and a study plan. Professional profile Provide a short profile (no more than 100 words) that summarizes your professional career including your current position (work title and news organization, if appropriate); publications that you have written for and/or other news organizations where you have worked; journalism awards you have won; beats and issues that you cover; special interests, etc. Study plan summary: Provide a brief summary (50 words) of your study plan. Work Samples Work samples must be submitted to the online application via file uploads or URLs. You may also provide a summary page that describes your samples. Work Sample Specifications We are most interested in your recent work. Most of your samples should have been published or broadcast in the 12 months immediately prior to the completion of your application. One older sample may also be submitted. Please clearly date all your samples and do not send more than the requested number. If your samples are not in English, please include a summary of their contents in English. Supporting materials must also be in English. Nieman-Berkman Klein candidates who work for a news organization in a business, technology, or leadership capacity may omit the work samples portion of the application, but should attach other documentation that illustrates the work they do. Print and Online Journalists Writers: Submit four samples of published work, including publication dates. Samples must be submitted via URLs or individual PDF file uploads. Editors: Include a statement describing your job. (This is in addition to your two essays.) This statement should be submitted as a PDF file upload to the Portfolio section of the application. You may list URLs or include files of published work along with a description of your role in these samples. For published work, follow the instructions for writers above. Photographers: Submit at least eight samples of your work via file uploads or URLs. A sample could be a single image, an article that includes multiple images, or a PDF excerpt from a published book. Image files up to 10MB each and PDF files up to 20MB each may be uploaded to the online application. Broadcast Journalists Work samples collectively should run no longer than 60 minutes. Include a written synopsis of each sample with a brief description of your involvement in each piece. Video files up to 500MB each and audio files up to 60MB each may be uploaded to the application, or instead provide a URL to your work online. Letters of Recommendation Three confidential letters of recommendation are required. These letters should indicate how your abilities and experience make you stand out as a fellowship candidate and should describe your qualifications, your potential for professional growth and leadership, and the impact a fellowship might have on your career in journalism. Once an applicant completes the references section of the online application for each recommender, SlideRoom will send an auto-generated email to each person with a link to access the online recommendation portal. That email is sent from notifications@slideroom.com with the subject line “The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard recommendation request from [applicant name] for Nieman Fellowships.” Each recommender will be able to type or copy/paste the letter within this portal (no file uploads) by the following dates: International Nieman Fellowship applicants: December 15 U.S. Nieman Fellowship applicants: February 14 Recommendations should be written by: Two professional associates familiar with your work who can comment on your journalistic abilities and potential for growth and leadership (e.g., current or former colleagues, mentors/advisors). An immediate supervisor with an appraisal of your qualifications. (Freelancers: This may be someone who has recently worked with you in a supervisory capacity.) Nieman Visiting Fellowship applicants are not required to supply letters of recommendation. Apply Applications will open in early October. The deadlines to apply will be Dec. 1 for international journalists (non-U.S. citizens, even if you work in the U.S.) and Jan. 31 for U.S. journalists (U.S. citizens, even if you don’t work in the U.S.).

Nieman Fellowships For international candidates (non-U.S. citizens) December 1: Application deadline April: Applicants will be notified of their status, and Zoom calls will be scheduled with those advancing to the interview stage. May: International fellowship offers will be made. June: The press release announcing the Nieman class be posted. Around mid-August: The fellowship will begin. For U.S. candidates (U.S. citizens) January 31: Application deadline May: Applicants will be notified of their status, and interviews will be scheduled with those advancing to the interview stage. Fellowship offers will be made shortly thereafter. June: The press release announcing the Nieman class will be posted. Around mid-August: The fellowship will begin. Other Info Course Information Fellows choose their own course of study at Harvard. Some use the year to deepen their knowledge in a field of interest while others seek to broaden their knowledge in several areas or prepare for a new assignment. Fellows are required to complete course work in at least one class each semester. They choose their courses from offerings at Harvard College and at the graduate schools throughout the university as well as classes at the MIT Media Lab and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Each school maintains its own course catalog. View the Harvard course catalog.

Contact: https://nieman.harvard.edu/fellowships/ For