Data-Driven Reporting Project awards 12 grants for investigative journalism

Financial support, technical training will help journalists report on immigration, climate change, other critical topics

EVANSTON – July 7, 2026 – In its continued commitment to supporting investigative journalism, Medill’s Data-Driven Reporting Project will give journalists in eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces between $25,000 and $40,000 each, plus technical training and editing support, to produce accountability journalism serving local communities. The program is run by the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University.

The DDRP has awarded more than $2.5 million to 72 news organizations in five cycles since its founding in 2022. Several projects from awardees have gone on to win national, state and local honors.

“Every day we see the need and impact of investigative journalism on local communities,” said Medill Dean Charles Whitaker. “We are committed to doing whatever we can to make sure that these journalists have the tools, training and resources they need to do the critical work their communities need and deserve.”

The DDRP was founded to help investigative journalists working for local news outlets and those serving underrepresented communities across the U.S. and Canada. An Arnold Ventures grant made this round of awards possible. The DDRP was founded with an initial gift from the Google News Initiative and continues to provide 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 evaluate each application against established criteria. Neither Google nor Arnold Ventures played a role in selecting jurors or awarding projects.

“Modern life is awash in data, and that means that investigative projects require new methods and new tools to help cover essential stories,” said DDRP founder Jeremy Gilbert, Medill professor and Knight Chair in Digital Media Strategy. “We created the DDRP to ensure that newsrooms’ investigative projects can meet this moment. Technological complexity should never be the reason an important story goes untold.”

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

Spring 2026 Award recipients //

  • Arizona Luminaria

  • The Bell Project

  • The City Reporter

  • The Florida Trib

  • Honolulu Civil Beat

  • The Investigative Journalism Foundation

  • Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting on behalf of Louisville Public Media

  • Tasmiha Khan, freelancer

  • The Margin

  • The Narwhal

  • Planet Detroit

  • The Trace