FOIA Fest Boot Camp

 
 

FOIA Fest Boot Camp is a four-month training and mentorship fellowship for Chicago-based reporters sponsored by Chicago Headline Club and the Investigative Project on Race and Equity. The program supports early career journalists who want to deepen their accountability reporting and strengthen their use of public records and investigative tools.

Through workshops, mentorship and peer support, participants develop early-stage reporting ideas into deeply reported story pitches focused on racial equity issues in Chicago.

We strongly encourage participation from journalists who are underrepresented in newsrooms, including journalists of color and those from Indigenous, working-class, immigrant and LGBTQ+ communities.

About the Fellowship

The fellowship program is designed for emerging journalists who have been published on any media platform and are interested in pursuing an investigative project examining a racial equity issue in Chicago. Participants work closely with experienced journalists who provide guidance on public records reporting, testing hypotheses, structuring investigations and pitching stories.

Senior investigative reporters Alejandra Cancino of Injustice Watch and María Inés Zamudio of Invisible Institute launched the program in 2021 hoping it would inspire newsrooms to create mentoring opportunities to support and retain journalists of color in the industry.

Funding for FOIA Fest and the Boot Camp comes from the MacArthur Foundation and The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. 

The program begins FOIA Fest, the Headline Club’s annual conference to train journalists and members of the public to access public records through the Freedom of Information Act. It then continues through four months of mentoring, workshops and collaborative cohort meetings.

Timeline

March

  • Orientation during FOIA Fest on March 21

  • One-day investigative skills boot camp late March or early April 

March to June  

  • One-on-one mentoring from experienced journalists who can advise on using public records, testing hypotheses, structuring investigations and placing stories 

  • Monthly check-ins with cohort to keep progress on track

  • Independent research and pre-reporting, including identifying sources, gathering records and refining story ideas

July

  • Participants pitch their investigative story to Chicago news editors with the potential for publication

What Participants Receive

FOIA Fest Boot Camp fellows receive:

  • A $500 stipend

  • Free admission to FOIA Fest

  • A one-day investigative reporting workshop

  • Four months of one-on-one mentorship and project coaching

  • Monthly cohort meetings with fellow journalists

  • Opportunities to connect with Boot Camp alumni and other prominent investigative journalists in Chicago

  • The chance to pitch story ideas to a group of Chicago editors

Applying to the Boot Camp

Applications typically include:

  • A brief description of a proposed reporting project involving public records

  • A description of an ideal mentor

  • A short explanation of how mentorship would support the project

  • 1–2 samples of published work

  • A resume

Application deadlines and program details vary each year. When applications are open, full details and the application link will be posted here.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Wendy Wei, the Investigative Project’s training coordinator, at wendy@raceandequityproject.org. We’re here to support you!