The Solutions Journalism Network is building a cohort of student news outlets at colleges and universities for the 2026-27 academic year that will do solutions reporting on the urgent topic of youth mental health. The project must focus on reporting stories in the community through a solutions lens. The student news outlets will learn from each other and share insights from their projects with each other and our growing network of journalists, educators and students. SJN’s goal is to catalyze reporting that looks at both the systemic issues facing communities and potential solutions to help them thrive.

We will be seeking a diverse cohort of student news outlets. Independent news outlets and those from historically under-represented communities are especially encouraged to apply. The minimum requirement is being willing to learn about and practice solutions journalism as part of the newsroom’s work. Any advisor or faculty member involved should be willing to get trained in solutions journalism. Students also must be willing to be trained in solutions journalism and engage in ongoing development. Toward that end, advisors/faculty and student newsroom editors will be expected to attend and participate in monthly cohort meetings.

The project may be initiated as part of a class or through student media outlets. However, all work that is published must be completed by students, with only advice by faculty, newsroom advisors and/or professional journalists. The news outlets will also work to implement a plan to train student editors to train other students to practice solutions journalism in the future.

Why the focus on mental health?

Young people are especially vulnerable to mental health issues; the pandemic and its aftermath have only intensified the breadth and depth of their struggles.

The nation has seen an uptick in  both ‘traditional’ mental health issues -- anxiety, depression, trauma,  suicide, assault, PTSD, loneliness -- as well as mental health issues that arise through other social determinants of health -- racism, neglect, food insecurity, housing instability, economic instability and community violence. 

Students who form the 2026-27 cohort will be building on the successes in covering campus mental health that were made by the 24 partners of the 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26 Challenge years.

NOTE: Previous grantees are ineligible to apply.  

We’re looking for proposals that answer questions like:

Additionally, each newsroom will also be asked to share their experiences with other students and student media outlets on and/or off campus.

Selection criteria:

• Commitment to rigorous reporting that recognizes the social conditions, systems and factors that impact youth mental health, such as education, economics, health, race and environment. 
• Capacity to produce enterprise stories on important topics in the community. 
• Willingness to engage in regular reporting on this topic from a solutions lens. Demonstrated service to historically marginalized communities/ news outlets led by and serving people of color and other diverse groups. 

Newsroom requirements:

•  There is no minimum requirement for stories, but we expect news outlets to regularly produce solution stories about topics they choose throughout the period of the grant.
• Measure the impact of the project with your audience. News outlets will receive training and support in developing a strategy for measuring impact, including surveys and focus groups.
• Commitment to actively engage in cohort meetings, sharing what you are doing and supporting your peers in the cohort.
• Designate a team leader to communicate with the cohort lead each month.
• The newsroom team should include the designated team leader, such as an advisor, staff member or editor; plus at least 2 other team members committed to using solutions journalism in the newsroom.
• Propose a plan to engage with other students and/or the broader community to share what you have learned. This could include activities like class visits, blog posts, an in-person training, social media or convening a group of student journalists at other publications or in similar communities to discuss how to incorporate solutions into their reporting.
• Carry out those activities within nine months (September 2026 - May 2027)
• Applicants must supply the name, office phone number and email address of the university officer or general manager (in the case of an independent student newsroom) who will be tasked with administering the grant. No application will be accepted without this information.

Thinking of applying? Read this first.

SJN will be offering two online informational sessions in March. The first will be Wednesday, March 4 at 1 p.m. Eastern. Advance registration is required. Here’s a link.

The second will be Tuesday, March 10 at 1 p.m. Eastern. Here's a link.

To start the application process, fill out this form by Friday, March 20 at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed before proceeding to the final application stage.

For any questions or to discuss project ideas, contact SJN’s training and curriculum manager, Sharon Bloyd-Peshkin, at sharon@solutionsjournalism.org.