Columbia University School of Journalism Ira A. Lipman Civil and Human Rights Reporting Fellowship, USA 2024

Application is now open for the Columbia University School of Journalism Ira A. Lipman Civil and Human Rights Reporting Fellowship. Interested candidates are encouraged to send their applications in before the deadline date.

About Columbia University and Fellowship

Columbia University, renowned as an Ivy League institution, stands as an intellectual bastion in the heart of New York City. Officially known as Columbia University in the City of New York, it boasts a prestigious history dating back to its establishment in 1754 as King’s College. The university’s roots are intertwined with the history of Trinity Church in Manhattan, where it was initially founded, making it the oldest institution of higher education in New York and the fifth-oldest in the United States.

Founded as a colonial college under a royal charter granted by George II of Great Britain, Columbia University has evolved into a global academic powerhouse. It consistently ranks among the top institutions worldwide, earning the 12th position in the United States and seventh globally for the 2023–2024 period according to U.S. News & World Report. QS University Rankings place Columbia fifth in the United States, and it has held remarkable positions, including second place, in recent years.

The university’s commitment to excellence extends to its journalism programs, epitomized by the Lipman Fellowship. This non-residential fellowship program provides journalists with access to the rich resources of the Journalism School and university libraries. A unique feature of the Lipman Fellowship is the requirement for fellows to publish their completed stories within a year of accepting the fellowship, ensuring timely dissemination of impactful journalism. Freelancers participating in the fellowship must secure commitments from news outlets or magazines for the publication of their fellowship stories.

While the Lipman Fellowship is a non-residential program, fellows may be invited to the campus to share their experiences and insights through public presentations. The fellowship encourages engagement beyond the program, allowing fellows to potentially lecture, mentor, and advise students, fostering a dynamic exchange of knowledge and expertise.

Details about Columbia University School of Journalism Ira A. Lipman Civil and Human Rights Reporting Fellowship:

Scholarship Sponsor: Columbia University School of Journalism

Scholarship Value: $10,000

Number of awards: N/A

Study level: Fellowship

Host Institution(s): Columbia University, USA

Courses: Journalism

Benefits:

• $10,000 will be given to each fellow.
• For a fellowship event and presentations, the school will cover the fellows’ travel expenses to New York. Subject to approval, all requests for travel and other expenses must be made in advance. 
• You will receive assistance from the institution in configuring access for Butler Library and the Journalism librarian.

Eligibility Criteria for Columbia University School of Journalism Ira A. Lipman Civil and Human Rights Reporting Fellowship

Candidates are advised to meet the following requirements to be eligible for the Columbia University School of Journalism Ira A. Lipman Civil and Human Rights Reporting Fellowship:

• Each applicant must be an independent journalist operating in the United States or a full-time staff writer or reporter for a U.S. news organization, magazine, or website.
• Fellows are required to write a 5,000-word narrative or series on civil and human rights, interpreted broadly, covering topics like the ability to vote, police use of force, discrimination in the workplace and other contexts, human trafficking, child labor, and more. After the story is approved by the Lipman Center, it needs to be published.
• It is anticipated that fellows to share their work in public at the Journalism School. Upon mutual consent, fellows may also mentor, advise, and lecture to students.

Additional Information

A month following the fellowship deadline, fellows will be named, and they will have a year to finish their projects. Before stories are sent to editors for publication, the Center will set deadlines for ideas and drafts and offer editorial and reporting help as needed. Independent journalists who are fellows must get a news agency or magazine agreement to publish their stories. 

Application Procedure for Columbia University School of Journalism Ira A. Lipman Civil and Human Rights Reporting Fellowship

• A short (800-word) description of the proposed project
• Two letters of recommendation
• A resume

You may email your application in Word or PDF form to iralipmanfellowship@columbia.edu. 

You may also mail your application to the following address:

The Ira A. Lipman Fellowship

Columbia University School of Journalism

Pulitzer Hall

2950 Broadway, New York, NY 10027

You can also visit the official website for further details.

The Submission Deadline is: February 15, 2024

Not interested in this particular scholarship? See other USA scholarships here.