Application to apply for consideration opens Sept. 15, 2025 for participation in the Report For America national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. RFA will host a September 11 Zoom session at 2:30 EST; click here to register for the session in advance.
RFA has placed more than 700 reporters into over 450 newsrooms in all 50 states to fill critical news holes and coverage gaps. Several newspapers in Wisconsin have benefited from the program.
RFA host newsrooms receive the following benefits:
• The agency will recruit a local reporter for participating newsrooms who is passionate about the beat designated as a need for coverage.
• RFA will help expand newsroom coverage by paying half of the salary of the reporter for the first year and 33% of the salary the second year.
• RFA offers ongoing training and mentoring for the reporter through RFA’s Training and Service team throughout the two-year commitment.
• RFA’s Local News Sustainability Team partners with participating newsrooms to help raise money from the local community to sustain the corps member position and provide ongoing resources for the newsroom. Read more about the Local News Sustainability work here .
• Newsroom partners will have access to a network of over 200 like-minded host newsrooms to collaborate and use as a resource.
The deadline for newsrooms to apply is Oct. 20.
This sample application should give prospective newspaper applying for the RFA program to preview the questions and to prepare their answers prior to the Sept. 15 application launch.
Information is also available on the RFA website, www.reportforamerica.org.
