Apply Now: Want to Find Success Stories Through Data? Solutions Journalism Network Can Help.
By: Matthew Kauffman
Tags: Data Journalism, Solutions Journalism

Our new fund will support reporting projects that pursue solutions stories by investigating “positive deviants” in datasets.

Data journalism and solutions journalism make great partners.

Solutions reporting highlights responses to social problems with a verifiable, evidence-based record of success. And data can help journalists discover those places that appear to have found a better way, because when the impact of a response can be measured with numbers, it’s easy to identify potential high-performers.

In data, those better performers are “positive deviants” — outliers that might provide a tip to a place or policy that has found success and is making a difference. Think about the social issues — in health, equity, education, public safety, the environment — confronting the regions you cover. It’s possible someone else confronting similar issues across town or across the globe has discovered a smart response. And positive deviants lurking in data might point you to those successful responses.

But even as solutions journalism grows in acceptance and popularity around the world, relatively few news outlets pursue solutions stories by hunting for positive deviants.

Let’s change that. The Solutions Journalism Network is awarding grants to support newsrooms pursuing solutions stories with a focus on positive deviants. We want to help news outlets that see the value of mining data to discover the places that outperform their peers, and then relish the task of digging in to investigate whether novel and replicable responses are driving that better performance. It could be a prison system with significantly lower recidivism compared to other prisons with a comparable inmate population; a state that has reversed poor health outcomes for vulnerable populations; a country that has greatly improved access to clean drinking water while comparable countries lag behind.

With the ever-increasing availability of data, the opportunity to pursue positive-deviance stories is nearly limitless — in education, health, equity, employment, public safety, the environment, and all the areas that affect your readers, listeners and viewers.

But to be clear: The data can’t do all the lifting. Every data journalist will remind you that correlation is not causation. And comparisons across geographies are meaningful only if they are truly comparable. So it’s not solutions journalism if there isn’t compelling evidence that specific policies and practices are behind the better outcomes. Remember: Positive deviants are not the story. They are merely tips that can lead you to a story. Rigorous investigative reporting is still essential.

WHO SHOULD APPLY

Any newsroom of any size in any medium anywhere in the world is eligible to apply.

Freelancers are welcome to propose projects, but their applications must be submitted by a newsroom.

We prioritize applications that are led by or serve diverse communities.

We also look favorably on collaborations that have the potential to increase the reach and impact of a project.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We’re looking for proposals with a clear description of the issue or issues you want to explore through positive deviants, and why the issues are important to your community.

We also want to see a clear, if preliminary, sense of the data you plan to explore. At this stage it is not mandatory to identify individual datasets, but your proposal should be more specific than “data about poverty” or “environmental data.”

Your proposal should indicate what you are looking for in the data. In other words, tell us your goal for the data analysis:

​ ​ ​​​ ​​ ​​​ ​ ​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ○ “We aim to find cities similar to ours with better outcomes for _____”; or

​ ​ ​​​ ​​ ​​​ ​ ​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ​​ ​ ​​​ ○ “We aim to find rural hospitals that have made progress in addressing _______”;

We strongly favor solutions stories featuring responses that are likely to be widely replicable. A successful response that works only due to the unique circumstances of a particular place or institution isn’t really a solutions story.

We are open to projects that investigate positive deviants within a region, a state, a country, or globally.

We want to see a strong understanding of solutions journalism, including knowledge of the four pillars.

DETAILS

Applications are due by midnight Eastern Time on March 31, 2021.

Grants of $5,000 to $10,000 will be awarded, based on the complexity and duration of the project and the number of stories planned.

We anticipate funding projects with proposed timelines of three to eight months.

Successful applicants will receive support and training as necessary, and will participate in monthly calls with other grantees to share tips and insights. (Selected applicants who are not chosen for funding may also be invited to participate in calls.)

Funding can be applied to:

​ ​ ​​​ ​​ ​​​ ​ ​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ○ Staff time for project activities, particularly at smaller news outlets

​ ​ ​​​ ​​ ​​​ ​ ​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ○ Freelancers or contractors, including those who can backfill for staff reporters or editors

​ ​ ​​​ ​​ ​​​ ​ ​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ○ Acquiring relevant databases

​ ​ ​​​ ​​ ​​​ ​ ​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ○ Data analysis and data visualization, particularly if you do not currently have staff with the data skills to support your project

​ ​ ​​​ ​​ ​​​ ​ ​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ○ Audience engagement attached to solutions-focused reporting

​ ​ ​​​ ​​ ​​​ ​ ​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ○ Multimedia or multi-platform storytelling

​ ​ ​​​ ​​ ​​​ ​ ​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ○ Language translation costs for communities speaking multiple languages

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested? Here are some steps you can take:

TIMETABLE

Deadline for applications: March 31. We may follow up to learn more about your project or to schedule a meeting.

Announcements: Week of April 19.

Successful applicants can start work as soon as practicable.

FINE PRINT