National Press Foundation Rare Disease Reporting Fellowship 2026

The National Press Foundation runs this fellowship to help professional journalists cover rare diseases, bringing together on-the-record briefings and question-and-answer sessions with researchers, patient advocates and other experts. Topics include rare disease research on the African continent, AI-driven drug development, childhood genetic testing and the case for more inclusive clinical trials.

The fellowship is open to professional journalists based in any country, working in any medium, including print, broadcast, online or social media. All accepted fellows receive the training free of charge. Sessions run online from 16 November 2026 to 20 November 2026, and attendance at every session is mandatory.

Alongside the training, the Foundation offers up to $2,000 in reporting grants to 20 journalists to cover travel expenses and time spent on a rare disease reporting project of their choosing. Grant recipients receive part of the funds on completing the training and the rest once their finished work is submitted and published.

Applications close on 22 October 2026. Employed journalists need a letter of support from their editor releasing them for the training days, while freelancers should submit a letter from an editor interested in publishing their work on the topic.