Alicia Patterson Foundation

What Alicia Patterson Foundation does

The Alicia Patterson Foundation (APF) is a private nonprofit organization established in 1965 in memory of Alicia Patterson, founder, editor, and publisher of Newsday, to support professional journalists engaged in rigorous, in-depth reporting. Headquartered in Washington, DC, APF operated an annual competitive fellowship program awarding 6-8 grants per year to U.S. print journalists (or non-U.S. citizens working full-time for U.S. print publications) with at least five years of professional experience. Fellowship stipends were structured as $40,000 for a 12-month fellowship or $20,000 for a 6-month fellowship, with at least one slot annually reserved since 2016 as the Cissy Patterson Fellowship for Science and Environmental Writers.

The foundation's "technology" footprint is essentially nil: APF is a grant-giving entity with no proprietary software, AI/ML, or data products, relying on a JotForm-based online application portal, a website archive of 60+ years of articles, and a Facebook page for outreach. The business model is donation/endowment-funded grant distribution rather than revenue generation, and the customer base consists of individual journalist fellows (e.g., Stan Alcorn, James Asher, Jessica Baltzersen, Natasha Gilbert, Stefan Lovgren, Alexandra Talty, Fred Schulte) whose work has appeared in Harpers, Scientific American, the New York Times, National Geographic, and other major outlets. APF's distribution channels are direct (annual competition with October 1 application deadline) and partnerships with journalism networks like the Global Investigative Journalism Network and the Institute for Nonprofit News.

In December 2025, APF merged into the Fund for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), founded in 1969, with the fellowship program continuing as a program of FIJ and APF board president Robert Lee Hotz joining FIJ's board. APF's website is now positioned as an archive, with active grants and fellowships redirected to fij.org. Over its 60-year history, APF awarded 521 fellowships, contributing to award-winning books, an Oscar-winning documentary, and Pulitzer Prize-winning work including James Asher's 2017 Pulitzer for the Panama Papers investigation.

Name

Alicia Patterson Foundation

Legal name

Alicia Patterson Foundation

Website

https://aliciapatterson.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Alicia Patterson Foundation was a Washington, DC-based nonprofit (est. 1965) that awarded 6-8 annual investigative journalism fellowships ($40K for 12 months or $20K for 6 months) to U.S. print journalists; it merged into the Fund for Investigative Journalism in December 2025 and its website now serves as an archive.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Journalism Fellowship Grants

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Research Grants, Fellowships & Stipends (International) (EDAIAOAJ)

Keywords

• Journalism fellowship grants
• Investigative reporting support
• Nonprofit journalism foundation
• Reporter fellowship program
• Journalism award funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Fellowship Grant Disbursements: The foundation provides monetary fellowships to working journalists to pursue independent investigative reporting projects. Fellowships are awarded as grants - $40,000 for 12-month fellowships and $20,000 for 6-month fellowships. The foundation does not generate revenue from these disbursements as it is a nonprofit organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Alicia Patterson Foundation awards competitive fellowship grants to working U.S. print journalists to pursue independent, in-depth investigative reporting projects. Fellowships are offered as $40,000 stipends for 12 months or $20,000 stipends for 6 months, and include a dedicated Cissy Patterson Fellowship for Science and Environmental Writers since 2016. The foundation does not charge fees for applications and selects 6–8 fellows per year through an annual competition.

Product overview

The Alicia Patterson Foundation offers fellowship grants for journalists engaged in rigorous, probing, in-depth reporting. The primary offering consists of Alicia Patterson Fellowships, available as either 12-month ($40,000) or 6-month ($20,000) grants. Since 2016, a designated Cissy Patterson Fellowship for Science and Environmental Writers is included each fellowship class. The foundation also maintains an archive of published articles and a database of past fellows. The foundation merged into the Fund for Investigative Journalism in December 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cissy Patterson Fellowship for Science and Environmental Writers: Beginning with the 2016 fellowship class, an additional fellow specializing in either science or environmental journalism is part of the fellowship class. This fellow is designated as a Cissy Patterson fellow, in honor of Alicia's aunt, the publisher Cissy Patterson.

Products and services

• Alicia Patterson Fellowships Fellowship grants providing $40,000 for a 12-month stipend or $20,000 for a 6-month stipend to working U.S. print journalists to pursue independent, in-depth reporting projects on topics of public interest. Applications open annually in June and close October 1, with 6–8 fellows selected by a panel of judges each year.
• Cissy Patterson Fellowship for Science and Environmental Writers A specialized fellowship slot for science or environmental journalism included as part of the regular Alicia Patterson fellowship class since 2016, awarded in honor of Alicia Patterson's aunt, publisher Cissy Patterson.

Quantifiable outcome

• 521 fellowships awarded over 60 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Fund for Investigative JournalismcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025In December 2025, the Alicia Patterson Foundation merged into the Fund for Investigative Journalism, bringing together two of the oldest and largest funders of independent journalism in the United States. Effective immediately, APF's six- and 12-month reporting fellowships became a program of the Fund for Investigative Journalism. Robert Lee Hotz, president of APF's board of directors, joined the Fund's board. Founded in 1969, the Fund for Investigative Journalism provides grants, editorial and legal support to journalists. In just the last five years, the Fund provided more than 525 grants to journalists for stories published in news organizations ranging from the New York Times to KHNS public radio in Alaska.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Market position

Competitive moat2 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Alicia-Patterson-Foundation/38469057147
• Xx.com/apffoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alicia-patterson-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Alicia Patterson Foundation