The Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship 2021

Bukki Bello

The Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship provides academic and professional opportunities to advance the reporting skills of women journalists who focus on human rights and social justice. The Fellowship was created in memory of The Boston Globe correspondent and IWMF Courage in Journalism Award (1998) winner Elizabeth Neuffer, who died while reporting in Iraq on May 9, 2003.

In collaboration with Neuffer’s family and friends, the IWMF started this program to honour Neuffer’s legacy while advancing her work in the fields of human rights and social justice. The Neuffer Fellowship is designed for staff or freelance women journalists with at least three years of professional experience in journalism working in print, broadcast, or digital media.

All nationalities are welcome to apply but non-native English speakers must have excellent written and verbal English skills in order to fully participate in and benefit from the program. The Fellow will complete research and coursework at MIT’s Center for International Studies and journalism internships at The Boston Globe and The New York Times.

The flexible structure of the program will provide the fellow with opportunities to pursue academic research and hone her reporting skills. Past fellows have taken advantage of opportunities to publish work under their byline through various media outlets.

Due to COVID-19, the 2021-2022 Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship may take place in-person or virtually. The IWMF and its partners reserve the right to determine the format of the Fellowship prior to the Fellowship start date.

The seven-month Fellowship begins in the fall and concludes in the spring every year. The program includes both an orientation and closing session in Washington, D.C.

Neuffer Fellows are based at the Center for International Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts from September to January. Working with the IWMF, they design a program that will enable them to pursue academic research while improving their ability to cover human rights and social justice issues.

Following the fall semester, Neuffer Fellows are based in New York City where they complete a full-time internship at The New York Times from February to March.

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Benefits

Neuffer Fellows receive a fixed monthly stipend to cover their living costs.
The IWMF also arranges and covers the cost of housing in Cambridge and New York City for the fellow.
The IWMF purchases round-trip economy airfare from the fellow’s place of residence to Washington, D.C., as well as transportation between the Fellowship cities.
The fellow receives health insurance during the program.
The Fellowship does not include a salary.
For fellows residing outside of the United States, the Fellowship also covers the costs of applying for and obtaining a U.S. visa.
The fellow is fully responsible for any additional incidental expenses and other costs.

Eligibilities

The Neuffer Fellowship is open to women and non-binary journalists whose work focuses on human rights and social justice issues.
All applicants for the Neuffer Fellowship must be working journalists with at least three years of full-time, professional journalism experience. Internships and journalism-related work completed as a university student do not count as professional experience. Applicants may be affiliated or freelance journalists.
Journalists from any country around the world are eligible to apply. However, applicants must speak, read, and write English fluently in order to fully participate in and benefit from the Fellowship.

Eligible Regions: Open for All

DEADLINE: February 25, 2021

Bukki Bello

Bukola Owo-Bello is a spirited storyteller, content creator and YouTuber who loves sharing amazing opportunities, inspiration, and ideas with forward-thinking African youths.

Follow her on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram on @BukkiTalks