The Community Storytelling Fellowship is awarded annually to Oregonians who belong to communities that are underrepresented in Oregon media. Each fellow receives $5,000 to support the creation of true stories about those communities.

When we say “community,” we mean any group of people who share a common experience thanks to where they live, the language they speak, their race, their religion, their age, or some other attribute.

When we say “storytelling,” we mean nonfiction stories conveyed through writing, photos, audio, video, comics, or any other medium.

This fellowship is open to storytellers who intend to produce nonfiction stories. We don’t require applicants to have published their work, but they must demonstrate that they have the necessary skills to complete the proposed project.

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.

Note: We discourage the use of AI or LLM tools in drafting proposals for the Community Storytelling Fellowship, and we do not publish nonfiction stories that have been written by AI or with AI assistance.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.