Thirteen more investigative projects to receive financial and technical support from the DDRP

The Spring 2025 cohort of the Data-Driven Reporting Project (DDRP) awards nearly $350,000 to examine critical topics, including gun violence, criminal justice, nursing homes, and the environment.

Thirteen projects from journalists in ten U.S. states and Canada will receive between $15,000 to $35,000 USD each and will receive technical training and editing support as needed.

“Local newsrooms face major threats to their funding models and freedom to operate. These challenges endanger essential investigative reporting. That is why Medill is committed to supporting this important type of reporting,” said Medill Dean Charles Whitaker.

This round of DDRP awards was supported by a grant from Arnold Ventures to Medill. The DDRP was founded to help investigative journalists working for local news outlets and those serving underrepresented communities across the U.S. and Canada, with an initial grant from the Google News Initiative. The GNI continues to supply training resources and other forms of support.

Medill makes all decisions about DDRP awards based on the advice of a panel of 10 expert reviewers, who evaluated each application across a set of six criteria. Neither Google nor Arnold Ventures played a role in selecting jurors or awarding projects.

“With every new project, investigative journalism seems to grow more technically complex,” said DDRP founder Jeremy Gilbert, Medill professor and Knight Chair in Digital Media Strategy. “This 2025 cohort showcases the growing technical ambition of local newsrooms to do critical, sophisticated document- and data-driven reporting that supports their local communities.”

Since its inception in 2022, the DDRP has awarded more than $2.2 million to 59 news organizations. Several projects from awardees have already won national, state and local recognition. 

We anticipate that applications for our next cohort will open in January 2026.

Sign up here to learn more about the DDRP and future funding opportunities.

Spring 2025 Award recipients

  • Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism

  • CalMatters

  • Capital B 

  • Grist

  • Allison Herrera, freelance journalist 

  • Mountain State Spotlight

  • NowKalamazoo

  • Spotlight PA

  • The Appeal

  • The Local magazine

  • The Trace

  • The Utah Investigative Journalism Project

  • Xavi Richer Vis (with Canada's National Observer)