The Investigative Fund is pleased to announce the launch of the Wayne Barrett Project, whose goal is to support ambitious reporting projects focused on politics and corruption in New York City and on the national stage. Journalists working on projects that build on Wayne’s previous reporting are particularly encouraged to apply. Investigative projects will be housed at The Investigative Fund, The Nation Institute’s investigative reporting program, and overseen by The Investigative Fund’s team of editors.

The Wayne Barrett Investigative Fund will allow talented journalists working in print, digital or broadcast platforms to produce deeply reported investigative projects with strong editorial guidance and support. Eligible investigative projects will be awarded between $5,000 to $15,000, covering travel, document fees, and compensation for reporting time, as needed.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and will be evaluated monthly. A call for applications is available here. Investigative Fund editors will assess the proposal according to four main criteria: originality, feasibility, potential for impact, and whether the project builds on Wayne Barrett’s reporting legacy.

Muckraking investigative journalist Wayne Barrett spent much of his 40-year reporting career at the Village Voice, where he became, in the words of the Washington Post, “dreaded if not loathed” by public officials for his relentless exposure of such major political figures as Ed Koch, Rudy Giuliani, and Donald Trump. Within days of being laid off by the paper during a period of financial struggle, he became a fellow at The Nation Institute, home to several other Village Voice alums.

“Our credo must be the exposure of the plunderers, the steerers, the wirepullers, the bosses, the brokers, the campaign givers and takers,” Wayne once said in an address at the Columbia Journalism School. “So I say: Stew, percolate, pester, track, burrow, besiege, confront, damage, level, care.”