Community Storytelling Fellowship Grant

The Community Storytelling Fellowship, sponsored by Oregon Humanities, empowers Oregonians to share community narratives across various mediums, including journalism and photography. This annual fellowship awards $5,000 to underrepresented storytellers, fostering true stories that highlight diverse experiences. Each selected fellow will create multiple stories over an eleven-month period, supported by mentorship and editorial guidance. This initiative aims to amplify voices, bridge information gaps, and promote civic engagement within Oregon's diverse communities.

NOTE: We discourage the use of AI or LLM tools in drafting proposals for the Community Storytelling Fellowship, and we do not publish nonfiction stories that have been written by AI or with AI assistance. Oregon Humanities provides spaces for Oregonians to share their ideas and experiences, and work generated by a computer program does not fit with that mission. When we read proposals, we are more interested in strong perspectives and engaging ideas than polished writing.
The Community Storytelling Fellowship supports storytellers working in any medium—written journalism, audio, video, comics, photography, and more—in sharing stories from communities they are part of.
What is community storytelling?
What we're looking for
Strong proposals include details about the stories the applicant intends to tell and demonstrate a deep connection to a specific community. They also explain how the project would be completed within an eleven-month fellowship.
About the fellowship
In 2026, six Community Storytelling Fellows will each create approximately three stories (possibly more or fewer depending on length and complexity) to be published by Oregon Humanities and partner publications between February and December 2026. Each fellow will work with a mentor who is experienced in their medium in addition to an editor from the Oregon Humanities staff. Additional funds to support travel and other expenses are available.
Fellows have shared stories about older LGBTQ+ adults, immigrants in Northeast Oregon, participants in the Klamath Tribes’ language program, people who experience voices and visions, formerly incarcerated people, and people of color working in outdoor recreation and conservation, among other communities. To learn more about these projects, meet our 2025 Community Storytelling Fellows or read about past fellows.
The goal of this fellowship is to provide time and space for sharing stories and questions as part of our mission to connect people and communities to inspire understanding and collaborative change.
We hope the stories shared through this fellowship will allow more Oregonians to see their experiences represented, fill information gaps, and encourage readers to work toward a more inclusive and civically engaged state.
This program is made possible thanks to generous support from the Ford Family Foundation.

Eligibility

This fellowship is open to storytellers who intend to produce nonfiction stories. Previous publishing experience is not required, but applicants must demonstrate that they have the necessary skills to complete the proposed project.