2026 to 2027 Better Life Lab Multimedia Reporting Grants for Journalists and Storytellers

The Better Life Lab at New America is inviting journalists and storytellers to apply for its 2026 to 2027 Multimedia Reporting Grants, an opportunity supporting powerful, solutions oriented stories about caregiving, child care, family support, disability care, elder care, and end of life care. The programme is designed for storytellers who can use journalism and creative media to examine challenges within care systems while highlighting practical solutions, innovations, and possibilities for stronger care infrastructure.

The grants are focused on stories that can help audiences understand why care matters to families, communities, children, workers, and the wider economy. Rather than focusing only on problems, the Better Life Lab is particularly interested in reporting that investigates approaches already being tested or implemented and examines what can be learned from them.

Selected storytellers will have their stories commissioned on a rolling basis beginning in October 2026. They will also be invited to participate in the Better Life Lab reporting cohort and receive editorial guidance and placement assistance. Both new and experienced reporters are welcome to apply, with people whose perspectives have traditionally been underrepresented in the media particularly encouraged to submit proposals.

About the Better Life Lab Multimedia Reporting Grants

The Better Life Lab is a programme of New America focused on work family justice, gender equity, and the value of care. Its reporting grants support journalists and storytellers who want to explore the many ways care affects people's lives and the systems that support families and communities.

Care can include raising children, supporting relatives during illness, assisting people with disabilities, caring for older adults, and providing support during the end of life. Through its reporting grants, the Better Life Lab seeks stories that examine these experiences while identifying solutions that could contribute to stronger and more equitable care systems.

The 2026 to 2027 grants focus particularly on two major areas: innovations in child care and investments in care infrastructure.

Opportunity Benefits

• Reporting commissions beginning on a rolling basis from October 2026

• Funding for selected reporting projects

• Participation in the Better Life Lab reporting cohort

• Editorial guidance from the Better Life Lab

• Assistance with story placement and publication

• Opportunity to develop solutions oriented journalism

• Exposure to a network of storytellers working on care related issues

• Opportunity to reach broad and diverse audiences through creative storytelling

• Support for new and experienced reporters

Reporting Areas

Innovations in Child Care

One major focus is reporting on real world innovations that could contribute to a more equitable and accessible child care system.

Possible areas include:

• Rethinking when learning begins

• Examining who is served by child care systems

• Exploring the quality of child care

• Examining child care costs

• Exploring how child care is financed

• Highlighting innovations that improve access and equity

• Exploring approaches that provide families with greater choices

• Examining ways to support living wages for child care educators and providers

Applicants are encouraged to investigate programmes, models, policies, practices, and community initiatives that are already underway and could offer useful lessons for the future.

Investments in Care Infrastructure

The second focus is investment in care infrastructure across different stages of life.

Stories may explore issues affecting:

• Infants and young children

• Families requiring child care

• People with disabilities

• Older adults

• Families caring for aging relatives

• People approaching the end of life

• Family members and other caregivers

The reporting can examine how stronger care infrastructure could affect families, communities, gender equality, and economic life.

Storytelling Formats

The Better Life Lab welcomes a broad range of reporting and creative formats. Applicants are not limited to traditional written journalism.

Possible formats include:

• Print stories

• Online articles

• Photojournalism

• Graphic stories

• Podcasts

• Audio stories

• Multimedia projects

• Videography

The programme is also interested in new and creative approaches that can make care related issues understandable and engaging for broad and diverse audiences.

Solutions Oriented Journalism

A central feature of the programme is its emphasis on solutions journalism.

The Better Life Lab is looking for reporting that goes beyond describing what is wrong and investigates approaches that may help address care related challenges. Applicants should consider how their proposed story can identify practical responses, innovations, programmes, policies, or community efforts.

Strong story ideas can explore why care matters, what innovations are already being attempted, whether those innovations can be expanded or replicated, and what a stronger care system could look like.

The programme is particularly interested in stories that help audiences understand the connection between care and everyday life while showing what is possible.

Eligibility Criteria

• Journalists and storytellers are eligible to apply

• New reporters are welcome

• Experienced reporters are welcome

• Applicants from perspectives traditionally underrepresented in the media are particularly encouraged

• Applicants should have a compelling story idea connected to caregiving or care infrastructure

• Proposed stories should have a clear solutions oriented element

• Stories should be suitable for one of the programme's accepted reporting or storytelling formats

• Applicants should be able to develop reporting that can engage broad and diverse audiences

Required Application Information

The current programme announcement directs applicants to the Better Life Lab application form. The publicly available announcement does not specify a fixed list of application documents.

Applicants should therefore review the application form carefully and provide the information requested about their proposed reporting project, storytelling approach, and relevance to the programme's focus.

How to Apply

1. Review the Better Life Lab's 2026 to 2027 Multimedia Reporting Grants announcement.
2. Identify a reporting idea connected to caregiving, child care, disability care, elder care, end of life care, or care infrastructure.
3. Develop a solutions oriented story concept that investigates practical approaches, innovations, or possibilities.
4. Select the storytelling format that best fits the proposed project, such as print, online reporting, photography, audio, podcasting, graphics, multimedia, or video.
5. Complete the official application form with the requested information.
6. Submit the application through the Better Life Lab application system.
7. Monitor communication from the programme regarding selection, commissioning, and participation in the reporting cohort.