IJA is committed to increasing supporting and training Indigenous storytellers.

One of the ways IJA fulfills this mission is through the annual Indigenous Journalism Fellowship, a training and mentorship program. IJF was created specifically for Indigenous college journalists who want to deepen and broaden their reporting and multimedia skills.

Student fellows work with tribal and mainstream journalists to produce stories and complete a virtual curriculum designed to fill in the blanks left by traditional journalism schools. This experience is designed to leverage the inclusivity and accessibility of online learning while allowing fellows to continue with coursework, jobs, internships and other responsibilities.

As a capstone to the program, fellows will attend and participate in the annual Indigenous Media Conference (IMC). All fellow travel expenses, including registration, travel, hotel and meals, are covered by IJA. Fellows also receive a one-year membership to IJA.

Applications open in the first quarter of the calendar year.

For college students:

The IJA-AAJA Pacific Islander Scholarship was created in partnership with the Asian American Journalists Association for the purpose of supporting Pacific Islander students and journalists in their careers. Click here for more information.
The IJA-ICT-Cronkite graduate fellowship was created, in partnership with the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University and ICT, to support an outstanding IJA member to pursue a master’s degree and produce content for the national ICT audience. Click here for more info.
Created in partnership with the New York University Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, the IJA-NYU graduate scholarship is a full-tuition scholarship to one of NYU’s journalism graduate programs. Click here for more info.
A 12-week summer internship program offering three full-time paid internship positions for Indigenous candidates passionate about journalism and committed to telling impactful stories about communities across Oklahoma. Click here for more info.

For high school students: IJA-KU Native American Storytelling Workshop

This four-day workshop introduces high school students to the fundamentals of digital news, podcasting and multimedia journalism using the state-of-the-art studios and resources at KU’s William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Click here for more info.

The annual Native Storytelling Workshop, hosted by the University of Kansas in partnership with the Indigenous Journalists Association, takes place every summer on the KU campus in Lawrence, Kansas.

The four-day workshop introduces students to the fundamentals of digital news, podcasting and multimedia journalism using the state-of-the-art studios and resources at KU’s William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

This immersive program invites Indigenous high school students from across the country to explore journalism and storytelling as powerful tools for their communities. Participants will also gain insights into potential college majors and the university admissions process.

Lodging and meals are provided, and scholarships are available to ensure that all interested and qualifying applicants can attend regardless of their financial ability to pay.

Questions may be directed to IJA Director of Membership Sheena Roetman-Wynn at sroetman@naja.com.