Frequently Asked Questions About BLL's Child Care Reporting Grants

What are the care reporting grants?

The Better Life Lab at New America offers reporting grants on various topics related to work-family justice, gender equity and elevating the value of care. For this reporting grant series, the Lab is looking for stories that explore two dimensions of the care crisis:

1. Stories on innovations or solutions underway that help paint a vision for the future of a child care system that really works, using a solutions journalism framing and unearthing and highlighting potential bright spots that could help show the way.
2. Stories on challenges and solutions to care across the life cycle, from infant care, through child care, family care, disability, elder and end of life care, with an eye to the impact targeted investments could make to bolster gender equality and enable all families to thrive.

These grants allow independent reporters to be compensated for their time. The Better Life Lab will also provide editorial and pitching support, as needed, as well as create space for peer-to-peer support and connection.

How much are the grants?

Typically, the grants are about $1000 for a traditional print/digital media story, though additional funds are available for multimedia, graphic stories, and nontraditional stories as well.

When do the reporters get paid?

Reporters get paid upon publication of the piece. Any additional money received for placement by the publication is the reporter’s to keep.

Can people new to reporting/journalism apply?

Yes! A certain portion of the grant money is set aside to help develop new and emerging voices. We encourage people new to reporting and storytelling to apply as well. Some emerging writers have drawn on their own experiences, and supplemented their personal stories/ essays with statistics, data or reporting to connect it to larger themes or issues.

I have a pitch, but I’m not sure it will work. Can I send it over?

Please do. Many people take several rounds to work on their pitches, and we encourage anyone with a story idea pertaining to visions for the future of a workable child care system to apply.

What is the timeline?

Reporters are given a six month deadline by which to have their story published, with updates required at both two and four months along. If by the end of the time period the piece is not published, they will meet with the Better LIfe Lab team to discuss options.

Besides financial compensation, what else do the reporters receive?

Better Life Lab will offer editorial support, editorial connections and pitching support, as well as convenings with the reporting cohort. Participation is encouraged but not required. The Lab also helps to amplify the work, sharing it widely with Lab and New America networks.

What if I can’t get my story placed?

In previous grant cycles, most stories have found a publication home. In the rare instances that it cannot find an external outlet for publication, we have been able to edit the story to fit in New America’s publication, The Thread, or the Better Life Lab’s newsletter and blog.

How do I apply?

Go to the reporting grant application and fill out and submit the Google doc.

What if I want to ask for more funds?
You are welcome to make the case to us if your story requires additional funds. We work with reporters, narrators and storytellers on a case-by-case basis.

Do you have examples of previous stories?
Yes! You can read about our reporting grant process here and see the previous stories we have published here.

What kinds of stories are you looking for?

The Better Life Lab produces and supports high-quality independent journalism. We ask the question. You follow the data or the stories and write what you find. Our best journalism typically combines three elements:

• a solutions-journalism approach, grounded in a deep understanding of the challenges
• compelling stories of real people
• a policy or systems connection