Journalism Foundation Grant Guidelines

2024-2025 School Year Application Deadline: Friday, March 29, 2024.

The APA Journalism Foundation, established in 1968, has supported a variety of journalism education-related programs with small grants. Programs supported have ranged from workshops for working print journalists to college classroom programs and high school journalism-related projects. Most of the grants have supported programs to enhance college journalism.

College classes or programs supported have included lab newspapers, community newspaper classes, minority student programs, summer programs for high school editors and advisers, student legislative coverage programs, editor-in-residence programs and field trips to newspapers. Workshops for journalists, which have been taught or coordinated by college faculty, have included newspaper design, newswriting, feature writing and media law. (See notes below.)

Universities that have received grants have included the University of Alabama, Miles College, Auburn University, Troy University, Alabama State University, University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of South Alabama, University of West Alabama, Jacksonville State University, Samford University and University of Montevallo.

Grants can be awarded to any college program offering a degree in print journalism in Alabama or to any faculty member who wants to offer a workshop for newspaper staff members.

  • Recipients will be asked to complete a Grant Use Report.
  • The board solicits and picks grant recipients. Grants will be paid in August 2024.
  • Grants are not used to pay local visiting journalists. Board members believe that journalists are willing to visit classrooms without pay.
  • Lab newspapers supported. The Journalism Foundation Board of Directors sees benefit in using lab newspapers to provide experience to students.
  • No funds will be provided for a publication primarily used as an alumni newsletter. If a publication has multiple purposes, the percentage of the alumni portion and the basis of its funding will be detailed in the grant request.
  • Grants are not used to pay speaker or faculty fees, stipends, etc.
  • The Foundation does not support grants to buy equipment or books, or pay for printing.
  • If a grant is not used for 2024-2025 school year for any reason, the money must be returned to the APA Journalism Foundation and a grant application may be filed again the following year.

For more information, call Felicia Mason or Jaclyn Langan at (205) 871-7737, or email them at felicia@alabamapress.org or jaclyn@alabamapress.org.