Level Up

Accessing funding for professional development as a journalist is tough, especially if you, like many of our members, freelance or work in newsrooms with limited resources.

That’s where Level Up comes in.

Want to attend an industry conference or enroll in a leadership program? Want to take training or get a career-enhancing certification? 

We can help.

Summer 2025 applications are open until 11:59pm PT on August 11.

Stipends are available to any journalists who qualify as TJA members.

We ask just three things.

• Propose a training, conference, or other professional development opportunity that either:
  • supports trans journalists (including you!) in developing their careers
  • or supports efforts to produce accurate coverage of trans communities
• Attend the event or opportunity
• Fill out a form to let us know how it went

That's it! We want to facilitate whatever best-supports trans journalists and trans journalism. We trust that you know what you need!

Apply now, or read on for details.

• About the program
• About applying
• Frequently asked questions
• Our sponsors

About the program

What this program offers

Depending on the cost of your professional development opportunity, stipends in the amount of $250 and $500 are available. Selected awardees will also automatically become TJA members.

What we ask of you

Simply let us know about the opportunity you end up pursuing — tell us how it goes, tag us on social, or send us a photo! We’ll send you a short followup survey, and we will be happy to amplify your accomplishments, if you wish. We also hope you’ll help us by amplifying this program to colleagues who may benefit. 

Who should apply

We don't want people to count themselves out; if you're not sure if you're eligible, reach out to us with questions. But, here are some general guidelines.

These stipends are for student or professional journalists with any career development goal that supports the TJA’s mission: to foster the careers of gender-expansive journalists and to improve the quality of coverage of trans communities. We’ll primarily offer them to U.S.-based journalists, but international applicants are eligible.

We are always extra excited to support:

• students currently enrolled in journalism programs or actively producing journalistic work
• early-career professional journalists who have not attended traditional journalism educational programs
• freelance and independent journalists who lack institutional professional development support
• journalists from local, regional, and under-resourced news organizations
• journalists pursuing leadership opportunities — anything from speaking on a panel to learning to run your own newsroom

We’d love to see applications from TJA members and journalists from historically underrepresented communities in journalism and media including but not limited to trans and gender-expansive people of all genders, queer folks, disabled individuals, and people of color.

Applying is free.

Who is eligible

For our purposes, a journalist is defined as anyone who qualifies for one of the TJA’s memberships, whether that’s a student, journalist, or community membership. 

In a nutshell, that means anyone whose work — either full-time, part-time, or on an independent/freelance basis — contributes to the creation of news and media products for an editorially independent publication. You can also apply if you are a student working towards becoming a journalist in some capacity. Our community members are also eligible to apply, though they should take some extra time to read the eligibility criteria for the opportunities.

If you're not already a member, that's OK. Stipend recipients will automatically receive a membership.

If you've already received a Level Up stipend this year, you're eligible for another as long as you're in good standing — which means that you attended your event and filled out the followup form. (Just be aware that if you receive two $500 stipends in the same tax year, you will receive a 1099-MISC form from us.)

Learn more about becoming a TJA member here. It’s free (with a donation encouraged) and open to journalists of all identities.

What happens after you apply

Once the application period closes, the Level Up Committee will review them all. Every applicant will receive a determination notification within a few weeks of the application deadline.

About applying

Applicants will self-select the stipend amount ($250 or $500) for which they’re applying based on individual need. In addition to submitting work samples and Resume/CV (and/or college transcript for students), applicants must also, in less than 200 words:

1. Tell us about what you do, your professional development goal(s), and the 2025 opportunity you’re asking us to support.
2. Explain why you want to be there and how the experience might impact your work or career.
3. Articulate how support of your participation in this opportunity aligns with TJA’s mission. 

The application form is linked here. 

Frequently asked questions

I want to participate, but I'm not sure what to do! What are some examples of eligible professional development opportunities?

Past applicants have attended:

• AFI Conservatory's Cinematography Intensive Workshop
• A Bookkeeping Cooperative's Financial Foundations class
• Poynter online workshops
• Radio Boot Camp classes
• The Kalish Workshop
• RISD's Digital Design Fundamentals
• NLGJA, AAJA, SRCCON, AHCJ, CIJ, NASW, Resonate Podcast Festival, the Narrative Power Summit, the College Media Mega Workshop, and other conferences
• Career coaching for grant writing or resume development

How long does it take to receive a Level Up stipend?

It generally takes four to eight weeks after applications close for successful applicants to receive their stipends.

We review applications and notify applicants; you sign a contract, sign up for our payment platform, and provide the requisite financial paperwork; our accountants process the stipends. Then you will receive the stipend in your bank account or via check in the mail.

My professional development opportunity is in two weeks. Can you send me the stipend in time to attend?

We're happy to support events that might occur during or shortly after our application period. However, it generally takes four to eight weeks for successful applicants to receive their stipends.

If you do not have the financial ability to pay for your opportunity until receiving the stipend in your bank account, we recommend selecting an event or training that is several months in the future.

We are unable to expedite specific applications or payment processing.

I don't live in the U.S. Am I still eligible to participate?

Probably, but it depends on where you live.

As a U.S.-based nonprofit, we have some legal restrictions that we have to follow. For example, we cannot support applicants living in countries sanctioned by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control.

What kinds of professional development opportunities can I apply for a stipend for?

Level Up is intended for events or trainings, whether remote or in-person.

We want to help you pay for any opportunity that’ll allow you to develop new skills, improve your work and/or further chart the career of your dreams. Eligible opportunities can include but are not limited to: attending journalism conferences like NLGJA, NABJ, NICAR, or ONA; applying and enrolling into a leadership development program; investing in career coaching or a resume review; or taking a training or workshop class. 

We're also happy to help pay for out-of-pocket costs. For instance, if a newsroom is paying for your conference registration, but you'd have to pay for your own food and transport, you can use these stipends to cover part of an opportunity.

Do I need to send you my receipts?

Nope! These stipends are structured as a contract. We're not reimbursing you for your expenses. The contract requires you to attend the relevant event and fill out our form about how it went. If you can't attend the event for whatever reason, please let us know, so we can revise the legal agreement.

What kinds of things can't I apply for a stipend for?

These stipends require you to attend some sort of professional development experience, like an event or coaching session.

We aren't funding coverage. That means we won't directly fund your reporting trip, purchase of reporting equipment, or hiring of a freelancer to, for example, take photos for you. There are other programs for that kind of funding.

Generally, these stipends will also not be used to support professional opportunities outside the realms of journalism. But many of our community members do journalism education, industry trainings, and other work that may still be a great fit for this stipends program. So please don’t hesitate to apply — even if your opportunity might be nontraditional, it still qualifies if it supports our mission.

How do you decide who will receive a stipend?

The TJA staff reviews all applications. We look for applications from journalists whose work and journalistic vocation exemplify the TJA mission.

We have a judging rubric that evaluates the candidates’ essays, the opportunity, and whether it aligns with a specific focus of the TJA’s work this year. Depending on the cycle, we may also have funding set aside for specific purposes: for instance, for attending a TJA event at a specific conference, or for students and early-career journalists.  

When will I receive my stipend?

When we notify grantees, we’ll include information about how to receive funds. You’ll have to fill out a stipend contract and a form to gather your W-9 details, and then our administrators will process the payment. The faster you provide your information, the faster you will receive your stipend. Please note that this may be taxable income. It may take a few weeks for processing.

What if I need an amount other than $250 or $500?

If the professional development opportunity you want to participate in costs less than the stipend amount, feel free to use the rest to cover your time spent participating.

Past recipients of TJA stipends have used the extra to cover registration costs, a dog-sitter, an extra hotel night, or childcare. Whatever they needed to get to their event.

For opportunities that cost more, you might be able to find additional support elsewhere. For example, many conferences and their corresponding professional organizations offer their own discounts, scholarships, and grants. You might also be able to volunteer to help cut down on costs.

How is this program funded?

These stipends, like many of our programs, are supported by sponsors, philanthropic grants, and individual donors. Learn more about our current and past sponsors. Our funders have no influence on the participant selection or judging process. Learn more about our independence and fundraising policies.

You can support this program by donating to us directly. If you’d like to sponsor current or future rounds of our Level Up stipends, get in contact with us.

Questions?

If you have any additional questions that we didn’t cover here, please reach out!

Our sponsors

The Spring 2025 Level Up Initiative was made possible by:

This program and the rest of our work is also possible thanks to our supporters, including our philanthropic supporters like the MacArthur Foundation who provide general operating funds, and our giving community.

Learn more about opportunities to support the TJA's work through charitable sponsorships, donations, or paid advertising.