SpotlightDC is eager to fund investigative and explanatory projects for print, online media, podcast, radio and broadcast outlets. The projects must cover stories based in Washington, D.C., or probe cross-cutting subjects on matters such as health care, crime, transportation or corruption within the D.C., Maryland and Virginia region.

We offer grants of up to $10,000 for projects by freelance investigative journalists or reporters affiliated with news organizations.

SpotlightDC also awards grants for shorter, breaking watchdog projects of up to $2,000. Pitches for these projects can be shorter, direct emails to the SpotlightDC president, and the approval process takes less time to respond to breaking news.

The project must involve objective, investigative reporting rather than opinion, trend or feature writing. Each proposal should begin with a short summary of the investigative project: whom it’s about; what it hopes describe; where it takes place; why the project will have impact; how the journalist will report the project; when it will be filed. The proposal should also contain the results of preliminary reporting.

The pitch should not exceed 1,000 words.