The Carter Center Announces Opening of Applications for the 30th Cohort of the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism

ATLANTA (Feb. 2, 2026) — The Carter Center has opened its 30th application cycle for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism. The Center is accepting proposals from applicants for the 2026-27 fellowship cohort from now through April 3, 2026.

“For 30 years, the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism have shown that solutions-focused, trauma-informed reporting reduces stigma and drives stronger mental health policy and access to care,” said Neetu Abad, director of the Carter Center’s Rosalynn Carter Mental Health and Caregiver Program. “Now, more than ever, journalists play critical roles in shaping public understanding, holding systems accountable, and ensuring mental health remains a priority in national and global conversations.”

Former U.S. First Lady Rosalynn Carter established the yearlong, non-residential fellowships at The Carter Center in 1996 to provide journalists with the training, mentorship, and tools to promote the responsible coverage of mental health and substance use disorders.

Over the last three decades, more than 400 journalists in the U.S. and several countries around the world have successfully completed the fellowship, publishing high-quality, award-winning projects to help reduce stigma, raise awareness, and spotlight solutions.

Qualified applicants must have more than three years of experience as a professional journalist. Projects can be proposed in multiple formats – digital, audio, video, print – and applicants are encouraged to think creatively within the topic area.

Fellowship Details
Nine U.S.-based fellows and one non-U.S.-based fellow will be selected in July based on their proposed mental health projects. The non-U.S. fellow must report on the intersection of mental health and climate change. Climate change fellowship applicants should be based in a country considered the most vulnerable to climate change. These fellows will receive in-person and virtual training opportunities, mentorship, and a US$10,000 stipend for their work.

Of the nine U.S. fellowships, one is supported by the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Grant and focuses on scientific reporting. The non-U.S. fellow focused on the intersection of mental health and climate change is supported in part by the Carter Center’s Human Rights Program. All fellows are selected through several rounds of review, culminating with selections by our fellowship advisory board.

In addition to the U.S.-based fellowship, the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism program currently partners with Ireland, Latin America, and the United Arab Emirates to support and train journalism fellows in their respective countries/regions. In the coming weeks, each of these partners will announce the opening of their applications and share instructions on processes and requirements. For more information about our programs in those countries, please visit the FAQ page.

About the Fellowship Experience
Selected fellows will meet at The Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia, for the fall annual meeting to share their project topics and receive guidance from program staff, outgoing fellows, and an expert advisory group. Outgoing fellows attend the meeting to provide updates on their projects and share lessons learned. Expert advisers provide training on topics such as lived experience and solutions-focused reporting to create change in their communities.

Fellows continue training through webinars throughout the year, as well as a module-based curriculum developed in partnership between The Carter Center and the Poynter Institute. Once fellowship projects are completed, the 2026-27 fellows will join the cohort of more than 400 graduates of the fellowship and newsroom parity collective.

Fellowship projects have been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and have earned Emmy Awards, Peabody Awards, Edward R. Murrow Awards, Signal Awards, and awards from the Association of Health Care Journalists, Public Radio News Directors Inc., the American Psychiatric Association, Mental Health America, and the National Alliance for Mental Illness.

How to Apply
For more details on how to apply, please review our frequently asked questions. For additional inquiries not covered in the FAQs, please email carterfellows@cartercenter.org.

The Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism are made possible by generous support from the Hearst Foundations, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, and many other organizations and individuals. The fellowships are part of the Carter Center’s Mental Health and Caregiver Program, which works around the world to improve access to mental health care and reduce stigma and discrimination against people with mental illnesses. The program is committed to providing journalists with the tools they need to report effectively on mental health and substance use topics. The Journalism Resource Guide on Mental Health Reporting is publicly available to assist all journalists to accurately and sensitively report on these topics.

Learn more about the Rosalynn Carter Mental Health and Caregiver Program.
Follow @CarterFellows on X and @rosalynncarterfellows on Instagram for reporting from all Rosalynn Carter Fellows for Mental Health Journalism.

Contact: media@cartercenter.org

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