For applicants planning postgraduate study, research or advanced professional development, Stanford University Bill Lane Center for the American West has an active call for Bill Lane Center Western Media Fellowship 2026/27. The programme covers Professional research and journalism development and is hosted in or connected with Research/reporting focused on the American West. $8,500 for a reporting project lasting approximately three to six months, with the fellowship payment distributed according to the programme's award and publication milestones. The relevant closing date is 5 October 2026.

The fellowship supports deeply reported journalism on the American West and gives journalists resources to pursue work that may be difficult to fund through ordinary newsroom budgets. The current cycle opened 8 September 2026. The normal programme or award period is Approximately three to six months. The support is tied to the specific study, research, placement or project structure described by the funder.

Programme and cohort

The main academic, research or professional scope is Journalism and reporting projects examining the people, institutions, environment, economy or public issues of the American West. The opportunity is relevant here because it supports Professional research and journalism development. The fellowship supports deeply reported journalism on the American West and gives journalists resources to pursue work that may be difficult to fund through ordinary newsroom budgets. Applicants should make sure their proposed course, project, placement or research topic fits this scope before completing the application.

Financial package

$8,500 for a reporting project lasting approximately three to six months, with the fellowship payment distributed according to the programme's award and publication milestones. For an applicant comparing postgraduate funding, the practical point is to separate the published package from costs that remain outside it. The programme should therefore be described as fixed-value fellowship and not as providing benefits the organisation has not listed. Where rates can change by academic year, the final award-year amount should be taken from the official offer.

Eligibility rules

Working journalists and media professionals proposing an original reporting project about the American West and able to complete the work with an appropriate publication or outlet. Applicants need a clearly defined Western reporting project, professional journalism experience and a credible route to publication or broadcast. Projects must fit the fellowship's regional and editorial focus. Host location and applicant eligibility are separate issues: the programme is hosted in United States, while eligibility is determined by the rules above. Applicants should not assume a programme is global simply because it accepts some international candidates.

Academic or project scope

For postgraduate applicants, the important point is how the funding connects to the work supported. This is not unrestricted cash: it is attached to professional research and journalism development and to the organisation's stated purpose. In this case, the published package is $8,500 for a reporting project lasting approximately three to six months, with the fellowship payment distributed according to the programme's award and publication milestones. Applicants can therefore judge whether the support matches the costs and activities involved.

What applicants need

The application asks for the project proposal, professional background, work samples and the materials listed by the Lane Center for the current cycle. These requirements should be prepared using the formats and limits in the current instructions. Where university admission is separate from funding, completing one does not complete the other. A reference, supervisor approval, nomination or endorsement is required only where the programme states it.

Application steps

Submit the fellowship proposal through the Lane Center's official application process during the stated September-October window. The opening information for this round is: 8 September 2026. Applicants should use the official route linked below because it contains the current form, programme conditions and cycle-specific changes.

Deadline for the current cycle

The deadline is 5 October 2026. This is a professional fellowship with a fixed project grant rather than degree tuition funding, making it most relevant to postgraduate-level journalists and researchers building advanced work. Applicants should allow time for any separate admission, supervisor approval, nomination, reference submission or institutional sign-off described above.

Before submission, confirm that you fall within the eligibility group for this cycle, that the proposed course or project is eligible, and that every required document can be submitted by 5 October 2026. This is a professional fellowship with a fixed project grant rather than degree tuition funding, making it most relevant to postgraduate-level journalists and researchers building advanced work. The official page below is the correct place to begin.

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