David McClure Public Interest Journalism Fellowship Brookes University

Presented by the Oxford International Centre for Publishingat Oxford Brookes University, the David McClure Public Interest Journalism Fellowship will financially support one writing Fellow per year with an award of £15,000.

The fund will support one nonfiction writer per year for the next five years to work on a timely and independent piece of long‑form journalism that holds significant relevance within today’s society. It will focus on public interest journalism which, without this funding, might never be published.

The Fellowship will support the publication of a piece of long‑form journalism that is of significant contemporary resonance. The ultimate decision is based on how deserving the work is to be in the public domain. But the investigation must be original, non‑biased, non‑partisan, and rigorously researched.

David McClure was a well‑respected news producer, author and journalist whose investigation into institutional privilege resulted in two nonfiction books, and a series of impactful pieces of public interest journalism. He died from cancer in June 2022.

McClure spent a decade on a forensic investigation to uncover the lavish privilege around the British Royal family’s private estates and investments, all of which had been protected from public scrutiny for centuries. Dubbed as ‘bombshell revelations’ by the press, Royal Legacy:
How the royal family have made, spent and passed on their wealth (2014), and The Queen’s True Worth:
Unravelling the public & private finances of Queen Elizabeth II (2020), were both serialised in the UK press and covered extensively by the global media.

The applicant must submit a 1500‑word pitch including a synopsis of their investigation and its aims, objectives, key research undertaken and progress to date, and what support they need to complete it, and how the Fellowship funds will be utilised.

Starting in 2026, there will be funding for one Fellow per year for the next five years. Each year, the Fellow will start in September. The annual Final date to receive applications is 31 May.

Please mention Journo Resources when you apply, it really helps us out.