Marquette University in the USA offers the O’Brien Fellowship for journalists spend nine months reporting stories with the power to compel change in 2022
Backed by Marquette University, the O’Brien Fellowship helps news professionals dig deep while mentoring student journalists.
The programme honours Marquette alumni Alicia and Perry O’Brien. Their daughter, Patricia Frechette, and her husband, Peter, donated $8.3 million in 2012 to create the fellowship. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a co-founder and partner.
O’Brien Fellows complete an in-depth reporting project of their choosing on a topic of state, regional, national or international interest over two academic semesters.
- In the past, most Fellows have worked from a home base in the O’Brien newsroom in the Diederich College of Communication at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Due to COVID-19 they are accepting applications for remote, partial residency and full residency arrangements.
- Mentor and team with top Marquette journalism students in the pursuit of an investigative or explanatory journalism project.
Worth of Award
A stipend of $70,000 for nine months for your salary, paid to your sponsoring organization, or directly to the fellow in the case of independent journalists.
- A residency allowance based on family requirements for fellows moving to the Milwaukee metropolitan area for the duration of the fellowship: up to $4,000 for a single, married or partnered fellow, up to $6,000 for a fellow with one child, up to $7,000 for a fellow with two children, up to $8,000 for a fellow with three or more children. Fellows submit rent receipts from the rental property owner. The allowance is paid in equal monthly installments over the course of the fellowship.
- A moving allowance based on family size and distance. The allowance, covering the move to and from Milwaukee, ranges from $2,000 to $4,000 in total. (Fellows from the Milwaukee metropolitan area are not eligible for a moving allowance.)
- A travel and research allowance up to $8,000. This covers project-related travel as well as technology, data and document costs and equipment needs.
- Employee benefits continue to be paid by the fellow’s employer, where applicable. Please contact us if you have questions on this.
- Fellows and their spouses are eligible during the fellowship for tuition remission (up to seven credits) for courses offered by Marquette University.
Eligibility
- Staff-employed or independent journalists are welcome.
- Applicants should have at least five years of professional experience and produce journalism regularly as an employee or freelancer.
- Applicants may be connected to print operations, radio, television, websites, podcasts, online publications, wire services, or magazines of general public interest.
- There are no academic prerequisites.
- Applications from international journalists are welcome.
How to Apply
Method 1 (Preferred)
- They provide space in our official online application form for you to link to your supporting files from a file sharing service such as Dropbox or Google Drive, or from your personal or company’s website.
- This allows them to view your materials online.
- This is their preference.
Method 2
- If you are unable to send them a link to your materials, you may email them to them at [email protected] with the subject “O’Brien Application Materials: Your Name.”
Method 3
- As a last resort, they will accept physical copies of materials at the mailing address below. These materials won’t be returned to you.
- Please call them before sending them.
Deadline: The application period for the 2023-24 academic-year O’Brien fellowships is now open and will end on Jan. 20, 2023.