2026–2027 Better Life Lab Multimedia Reporting Grants for Journalists and Storytellers
The Better Life Lab at New America is inviting journalists and storytellers to apply for its 2026–2027 Multimedia Reporting Grants to support solutions-oriented stories about caregiving and care infrastructure.
Overview
The Better Life Lab at New America offers multimedia reporting grants designed to support powerful, solutions-oriented stories about caregiving, child care, family support, disability care, elder care, and end-of-life care. The program aims to help storytellers explore the challenges surrounding care systems in the United States while highlighting practical solutions, innovations, and possibilities for future improvement.
The initiative emphasizes solutions journalism, seeking proposals that examine not only problems but also approaches and models already being tested or implemented.
Benefits
- Financial support through commissioned stories.
- Invitation to participate in the Better Life Lab reporting cohort.
- Editorial guidance for complex reporting, research, and presentation.
- Placement assistance to support the publication and distribution of stories.
Eligibility
- Open to both new and experienced journalists and storytellers.
- Particularly encourages applications from people with perspectives traditionally underrepresented in the media.
- Welcomes various formats including print, online articles, photojournalism, graphic stories, podcasts, audio, multimedia projects, and videography.
How to Apply
Interested applicants should prepare a proposal that connects clearly to the program's focus on care, work-family justice, gender equity, child care, or care infrastructure, demonstrating how the story contributes to a solutions-oriented understanding of the issue. Applications must be submitted through the official application form provided by the program.
Deadline
Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis, and stories will be commissioned on a rolling basis beginning in October 2026.