These grants are for freelance and fully employed journalists to cover under-told stories about ways to make cities and their metro regions work better for all their people. “The Neal Peirce Foundation anticipates offering up to seven journalists travel grants of up to $1,500 each in 2026 to support undertold stories about urban solutions to make cities and their larger regions work better for all people.
An ideal project for us to support is one where a journalist aims to inform a critical local debate in their home market by reporting on how a promising approach in another city is working.” The grants “enable journalists to travel to cities within the U.S. to produce one or more stories for publication.” And, “Reporters, writers, editors, and photographers working in print, online, radio, television and multimedia are eligible for travel grant awards if they have had stories published or aired in the previous 3 years. We especially welcome applicants early in their journalism careers or from backgrounds underrepresented in today’s news media.” Submission is via a form.
Value: Up to $1,500 each
Deadline: 13 October 2026
Open for: Freelance and employed journalists in the US
Details here and here.

 

The McGraw Fellowship provides editorial and financial support to US journalists who need the time and resources to produce a significant investigative or enterprise story that provides fresh insight into an important business, financial or economic topic. They accept applications for text, photo, audio, or short-form video pieces, and they encourage proposals that take advantage of more than one storytelling form to create a multimedia package. This is not a residency Fellowship. All Fellows work from their own offices. It is open to anyone with at least five years professional experience in journalism (you do not have to be a business journalist to apply; many of their many of their previous Fellows have been generalists, or cover beats such as health care, education, environment, corporate accountability or inequality). Freelance journalists, as well as reporters and editors currently working at a news organization or a journalism non-profit, may apply. The application includes a story proposal. Generally, they do not accept book proposals. They consider proposals of interest to U.S. readers from both foreign and American journalists based abroad, as long as the work is published in English in a U.S.-based media outlet. The October deadline is for the Fall fellowship. They will also consider time-sensitive projects on a case-by-case basis outside of the deadline periods. Also see their FAQ. “Applicants must be US citizens/residents or pay taxes in the US. We are unable to support Fellows who are not subject to US income taxes.”
Value: Grants of up to $15,000
Deadline: 12 October 2026
Open for: US residents / citizens
Details here.
 

These can be for six months (paying $20,000) or 12 months (paying $40,000) for in-depth written reporting. “Reporting projects must be for print/online publication (i.e., written projects), and they must be U.S. focused. Fellows aren’t required to live in the U.S., but the reporting project must be focused on the U.S., for publication in U.S. outlets.
Reporting projects should be in-depth and investigative in nature, and can cover any topic of public interest.” They also say, “Freelancers are strongly encouraged to apply for the fellowship. Applicants who are on staff full-time at media outlets may apply, if they intend to take a leave from their job for the fellowship.”
Value: $20,000-40,000
Deadline: 1 October 2026
Open for: Journalists writing for US publications
Details here – see the relevant category
(They have other opportunities listed as well.)
 

They have grants for journalists covering European affairs; one of the  upcoming deadlines is for the European Cross-border Grant programme; it “aims to address the shortage of independent journalism by providing grants to investigative journalism projects in Europe and encouraging cross-border collaboration with an expert approach.

(It) supports cross-border teams of professional journalists and/or (local and national) news outlets who have strong ideas for cross-border investigations and research on European topics.”
Value: €2,000 to €14,000 and more (see FAQ)
Deadline: 1 October 2026
Open for: Journalists covering European affairs
Details here and here
(See all their grants, including for Dutch and French media, on the main guidelines page.)


 

Arts Midwest supports, informs, and celebrates Midwestern creativity. They’re seeking writers and community documenters in Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois to pitch them “story ideas about creative people, artistic projects, or cultural programming.” They will pay $350 for short videos and $500 for web stories (500 words). For more details, refer to this page.

Narratively is a media company that publishes original and untold human stories. They’re looking for pitches:

“This fall, we’re looking to test a handful of new columns, series and storytelling formats, and we want writers, journalists, videographers, audio storytellers — really, anyone with a creative mind — to help us produce them.

Your idea could be a recurring first-person column. A reported series you’d guest-edit, bringing in different contributors for each installment. Short self-recorded videos. Bite-size audio stories. Interviews. Illustrated narratives. A storytelling game or experiment. Or, best of all, something we haven’t thought of yet!”

Rates range from $100 to $1,000. To learn more, refer to this page.

Sixty Inches from Center is a non-profit arts publication and archiving initiative that promotes art and writing in Chicago and the Midwest. They’re seeking ideas for their first publishing theme: RECIPES.

“Inspired by our ancestors and caretakers who pass down knowledge across generations, we ask you to consider what ‘recipes’ you want to pass down to future generations. We urge you to interpret this theme broadly. For example, what cultural practices bring you and your community together, or disrupt the status quo? What are the ingredients needed to bring people together to move us to to build something new, steward something along, or tear something defunct apart? If the recipe is the inquiry, then what needs to be brought together for us to find an answer? We invite creative approaches to these questions that explore them literally or conceptually.”

Rate is $150. Details here and here.

Cake Zine is an independent print magazine that explores society through sweets. They’re seeking pitches for their next issue, Ice Cream Time, which will explore the relationship between ice cream and time:

“As the name suggests our summer issue, Ice Cream Time, will explore the relationship between ice cream and time. Ice cream is ephemeral. Your only responsibility is to eat it before it melts.

We’re interested in stories that use frozen dessert to think about time: the historical, the futuristic, the seasonal, and the ephemeral. Nostalgia is fair game but don’t give us anything saccharine. Think: A review of the ice cream counter at Berghain after 12 hours of dancing, an oral history of the violent NYC soft serve truck turf wars, a whirlwind tour of discontinued ice creams (looking at you Choco Taco). Delve into the tools and technology that are reshaping the industry to predict what we’ll be tasting in 2050. Ask a flavor scientist: Why does melted ice cream never become ice cream again?”

They pay $175 to $225 for shorter pieces (350 words or less), poems, and recipes; $250 for mid-length pieces (500 to 1,000 words); $350 for longform pieces (around 2,000 words); and $250 for visual art. Details here and here.

Experience Life is Life Time’s healthy-way-of-life magazine. They’re taking pitches for the July/August 2027 print issue (due November 15, 2026). Who Pays Writers has a 2017 report of $1/word; guidelines don’t list a rate. To learn more, refer to their writer’s guidelines.

Women in Urbanism Canada is accepting blog pitches with an honorarium (amount not stated) on housing, mobility, accessibility, and placemaking through an intersectional feminist lens. To learn more, refer to their LinkedIn call.

Off-Field wants ground-reported longreads on niche sport subcultures (2,500+ words) plus photo essays. Print longreads pay £500; photography from £500. Volume #2 pitches close October 23, 2026. Pitch via their website. To learn more, refer to their pitching guidelines.

Afar is a travel magazine and site that favors immersive, place-and-people storytelling over aspirational lifestyle fluff. They are open for Spring 2027 print pitches from September 1–September 30, 2026. Rubrics include Workshop, Connect, Good Trips, Feast, Senses of Place, One Great Block, Behind the Scenes, packages/roundups, and features. Stated print fees include Connect at $3,000 (1,500 words), Workshop/Good Trips/Feast at $2,000–$3,000, shorter front-of-book columns at $300–$400, and packages at $1,100–$3,000; print features typically start at $1/word, and digital work starts at $0.50/word. Submit print pitches via the form on their guidelines page; digital beat editors are listed there. To learn more, refer to their pitch guidelines.

These can be for six months (paying $20,000) or 12 months (paying $40,000) for in-depth written reporting. “Reporting projects must be for print/online publication (i.e., written projects), and they must be U.S. focused. Fellows aren’t required to live in the U.S., but the reporting project must be focused on the U.S., for publication in U.S. outlets.
Reporting projects should be in-depth and investigative in nature, and can cover any topic of public interest.” They also say, “Freelancers are strongly encouraged to apply for the fellowship. Applicants who are on staff full-time at media outlets may apply, if they intend to take a leave from their job for the fellowship.”
Value: $20,000-40,000
Deadline: 1 October 2026
Open for: Journalists writing for US publications
Details here – see the relevant category
(They have other opportunities listed as well.

The Irish Star is seeking Freelance News Reporters. The selected applicants will research, write, and deliver news content for their digital audience. Applicants based in the United States are welcome. The day rate for this role is $220. To learn more, refer to this job description.

This is an opportunity for a content writer with a leading food brand:

“Hello Linkedin! I'm working with an incredible food brand who need content writing support for May 2026. You will sit within the editorial team working across a range of projects. “

Dates - May 2026

Rates - £300 per day inside IR35 paid via umbrella only

Hybrid work - 2 to 3 days in London offices

If interested, email ella.augustin@majorplayers.co.uk. To learn more, click here.

Horror Press is a blog by horror fans for horror fans. They’re seeking pitches for Pride Month:

“Is a particular horror movie special to you? Do you think there’s an underrated movie that people should revisit? Maybe there's a horror icon you resonate with? Or perhaps there's a love letter to a special piece of media that needs to be shared.

Make it gay, make it creepy, or maybe even make it angry! Horror can be cathartic, and we're here to give you a safe space to share it, warts and all.

Just keep it focused on the horror genre.”

Rate is $50 per piece. To learn more, refer to their post and pitch form.

Good Tape is “a bicoastal magazine and creative studio elevating cultural and critical coverage of the podcast industry.” They’re accepting pitches for written and visual content for Issue 04: The Chemistry Issue:

“For issue 04, we’re acknowledging something we’ve felt pulsating through every story we’ve covered since we started: chemistry. Behind every artistic endeavor, creators interact, combine, and reorganize to spark something new. Podcasting is no different. From the scientific to the sultry, we’re interested in the bonds that hold projects together, the experiments that push them forward, and the circumstances that can just as easily pull them apart. What makes a collaboration click or combust? Does chemistry have to be organic, or can it be crafted? Where does it arise in unexpected ways?”

For written content, rates are $175-$1,050 for digital and $250-$1,500 for print. To learn more, refer to their call for pitches.

Pitch Fail Club is “the Substack for freelance journalists who want to know why editors say no, what makes a great pitch, and how to avoid freelance pitching mistakes.” They’re commissioning two short essays from freelance journalists about what their first year of pitching was like. They’re seeking up to 600 words and pay 10p/word. If interested, send your pitches to pitchfailclub@outlook.com. To learn more, refer to this page.

The Peak is “Canada's source for fast, smart news on business, tech, and markets.” They’re seeking smart, talented writers. They’re looking for the following type of stories:

- “800-to-1,200-word stories of original business reporting with a strong Canadian angle. We are interested in stories that take on exciting and unique subject matter, or are able to make traditionally stuffy material fresh and interesting.”

- “800-to-1,200-word explainer-style pieces about ongoing international events/issues. Stories that offer clear and precise analysis of hot-button issues or under-reported world events you think are worthy of attention. This could include updates on long-running conflicts, breakdowns of foreign election results, or answering high-level economic questions.”

Rates depend on the scope and complexity of each piece, with a minimum of $0.50 per word. If interested, send your pitches to taylor@readthepeak.com. For details, refer to this page.

The Ferret is “an independent, investigative journalism co-operative based in Scotland and owned by its members, not by billionaires or corporations.” They want to hear from you. They’re looking for: “investigations, news stories, and features that shed light on governments, individuals, corporations, and institutions that abuse their power to the detriment of society.” They also highlight solutions to problems. They pay £145 for news pieces of 600 to 800 words and £290 for longer reports of up to 1,400 words. They strongly encourage pitches from people of color as well as those from marginalized and under-represented communities. To learn more, refer to this page.

The National Forest Foundation is an organization that restores and enhances National Forests and Grasslands. They’re looking for a personal essay for Winter/Spring 2026 issue of Light & Seed magazine:

“Do you have a story about how technology or innovation has impacted your relationship to National Forests and/or Grasslands in the U.S.? The National Forest Foundation is seeking a personal essay for the Winter/Spring 2026 issue of its magazine, Light & Seed. We welcome literal examinations of this theme: an essay about, say, how a new technology has helped you conduct research or perform safer emergency rescues on National Forests. We’re also open to more symbolic explorations, such as how engaging in citizen science on forest lands has helped you cope with climate anxiety.”

They will pay $1,000 for 1,000 words. If interested, email your pitches to erinvriley@gmail.com. To learn more, refer to their call for pitches.

Business Insider’s editor is seeking new freelancers to work with and brilliant essay ideas. Here’s what they’re currently looking for:

- “Family Businesses: Have you started a business with a family member, maybe your child or parent? Has it been successful? Did you have to shut it down? What did you learn? What were the keys to your success?”

- “College/recent graduates: I’m always looking for stories from college students, recent graduates, or parents of college students. What is it like being a college student today? What is it like at X school? How are you paying for college? How are you saving for your kids’ college? How are you dealing with the current job market as a recent grad?”

- “Landing the job: Have you recently landed a job in this tough job market? Did you do something unique to get noticed? Maybe sent in a video cover letter? Snail mailed your resume? Worked with a career coach? What does it take to get noticed in the current job market?”

According to a previous post by this editor, they pay about $260+ per piece. Find more details here and here.

This is a freelance opportunity for an Italian-speaking copywriter:

“Looking for a fluent Italian-speaking copywriter for a freelance script project – starting end of April / early May, remote ok, based in the UK.

The brief is a sizzle reel script for a major entertainment brand. You'll be writing in Italian, and there's potential to stay involved through the edit review stage too – though that's subject to budget.

This is for someone who's comfortable working at pace on video-led content, understands how a script translates to screen, and brings genuine fluency – not functional Italian, the real thing.”

Day rate is £400 DOE. If interested, email ginny@itscraft.com. To learn more, refer to this post.

Business Insider covers business, personal finance, tech, lifestyle, politics, and more. Their deputy editor of lifestyle and entertainment freelance writers is seeking “frequent Costco, Trader Joe's, and Aldi shoppers to write about their favorite things to buy at the store.” Rates start at $230 per piece. There is no submission deadline; they publish these pieces year-round. To learn more, refer to their deputy editor’s post and this pitch form.