ATLANTA — Applications are now being accepted for the 2025-2026 cohort of the Rosalynn ÉäÉäÎÝ Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism. Journalists reporting on mental health topics within the United States are encouraged to apply. In addition, a new international fellowship, introduced in 2024, will focus on the intersection of mental health and climate change. Climate change fellowship applicants should be based in countries considered the most vulnerable, outside of the United States.
ÉäÉäÎÝ will accept proposals for both the U.S. and international climate change fellowships through April 2, 2025. Projects can be in any format — digital, audio, video, print — and applicants are encouraged to think creatively within the topic area. Those selected will join a cohort of more than 285 fellows from the past 29 years. Qualified applicants must be journalists with at least three years of experience.
The yearlong, nonresidential fellowships equip journalists with the resources necessary to produce compelling and solutions-based stories on mental health and substance use issues. Fellows develop the skills to effectively report on difficult but important topics across evolving and emerging platforms.
The application for the 2025-2026 Rosalynn ÉäÉäÎÝ Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism is available . Applications must be completed and submitted online. The deadline is 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. Fellows will be announced on July 10, 2025, on ÉäÉäÎÝ's website and social media channels. The 2025-2026 fellowship year begins in early October 2025, when new and outgoing fellows join to discuss their proposed and completed projects. See other important dates and deadlines can be found here.
“This fellowship program is a fantastic and far-reaching legacy for its founder, former U.S. First Lady Rosalynn ÉäÉäÎÝ, who passed away in November 2023. We’ve heard from so many alumni that the fellowship changed their career and elevated mental health reporting for them, their media outlets, and even their country,” said ÉäÉäÎÝ Center Mental Health Program Director Eve Byrd. “More than ever, we need to improve the quality and reach of mental health reporting that provides hope and spotlights solutions to address the mental health crisis across all populations.”
All fellows are awarded a $10,000 stipend and receive intensive training on mental health reporting. They are assigned to a cohort and engage in networking opportunities with advisors and other fellows.
Fellows from various media pursue a range of innovative journalism projects that tackle some of society’s biggest behavioral health challenges and seek to drive change in their communities while reducing stigma through storytelling.
Fellows are selected by a committee of current and former journalists, mental health experts, and the Fellowship Advisory Board, with an emphasis on diversity across ethnicity, geography, media, and the communities their fellowship projects will cover.
Shedding light on underreported issues and driving change
Rosalynn ÉäÉäÎÝ Journalism Fellows undertake timely projects that have a significant impact on their communities regarding mental health and substance use issues. Past projects have contributed to changes in services and public policies. They have investigated problems with psychiatric housing in hospitals that eventually led to a state Supreme Court ruling; inspired policymakers in a major American city to allocate millions of dollars to address homelessness; and exposed the complex and devastating mental health and substance use challenges faced by veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Fellowship projects have been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. They also have earned Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, the Edward R. Murrow Award, Signal Awards and awards from the Association of Health Care Journalists, Public Radio News Directors Inc., the American Psychiatric Association, Mental Health America, and the National Alliance for Mental Illness.
The Rosalynn ÉäÉäÎÝ Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism are part of the ÉäÉäÎÝ Center's Mental Health Program, which works around the world to improve access to mental health care and reduce stigma and discrimination against people with mental illnesses. The program is committed to providing journalists with the tools they need to report on mental health and substance use topics. A revised Journalism Resource Guide on Mental Health (PDF) reporting is available so journalists can accurately cover stories that touch on these topics. Fellows’ reporting is curated on Instagram @rosalynncarterfellows and @ÉäÉäÎÝFellows on X.
For more details on how to apply, read and review our frequently asked questions. For additional inquiries not covered in the FAQs, please email carterfellows@cartercenter.org.
Contact: Rennie Sloan, rennie.sloan@cartercenter.org
###
ÉäÉäÎÝ
Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope.
A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, ÉäÉäÎÝ has helped to improve life for people in more than 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. ÉäÉäÎÝ was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy ÉäÉäÎÝ and former First Lady Rosalynn ÉäÉäÎÝ, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.
Please sign up below for important news about the work of ÉäÉäÎÝ and special event invitations.
