The Data-Driven Reporting Project announces awards for Spring 2024

In its third cycle of awards, the Data-Driven Reporting Project continues to award funds and offer support to investigative journalists working for local news outlets and outlets serving underrepresented communities across the U.S. and Canada.

The DDRP will give out awards ranging from around $30,000-$50,000 USD to 11 applicants, more than $500,000 in total funding. Newsrooms will also receive training, editing advice and support from Medill and the other DDRP cohort members.

The DDRP was founded with financial support from the Google News Initiative.

“Medill is proud to support investigative work, especially from smaller, local newsrooms. Medill is committed to supporting this important type of reporting,” said Medill Dean Charles Whitaker. “We are grateful that Google’s financial support allows us to continue to assist journalists working on essential stories like these.”

The DDRP made selections based on the advice of a panel of 10 expert reviewers. Medill will provide award recipients with specialized training, expertise and resources. Google played no role in selecting jurors or individual projects.

“Each year, I am more impressed and encouraged by the ambitious kinds of projects that DDRP applicants propose,” said Jeremy Gilbert, Medill professor and Knight Chair in Digital Media Strategy, founder of the DDRP. “Our third cohort, spring 2024, continues the tradition of this program and builds on the great work done by previous cohorts. The stories they will publish will mean so much to the communities they cover.”

Since its inception, The Data-Driven Reporting Project has awarded more than $1.5 million to 35 news organizations since its inaugural round in 2022. Several projects from awardees have already won national, state and local recognition. 

Spring 2024 Award recipients

1. Arizona Luminaria

2. Ayuka Kawakami

3. Borderless Magazine

4. Cityside Journalism Initiative

5. inewsource

6. Invisible Institute

7. MuckRock

8. Flatwater Free Press

9. New Hampshire Public Radio & The Pudding

10. New Mexico In Depth

11. Open Vallejo