Applications for the Knight Grants for Reporting on Religion and American Public Life are due July 1, 2011.

For more information about Knight Grants and to apply, visit: http://annenberg.usc.edu/knight-grants.

The competition, sponsored by the Knight Program in Media and Religion, provides funding for projects that explore how religion -- morals, values, spirituality and the search for meaning -- shapes responses to social issues, including housing, health care, poverty, sexuality, immigration, economic equity, and civil rights in the US.

Those eligible for the grants include: staff reporters, affiliated freelancers and self-employed web journalists who work in the US and cover politics, social and cultural issues. Generalists and religion specialists also are encouraged to apply. Successful applicants will be awarded grants up to $20,000 to subsidize travel, living, and miscellaneous costs. Grants will be awarded through an application process overseen by the Knight Program in Media and Religion and are made possible through the generous support of the Ford Foundation.

Grant recipients will develop stories for delivery on multiple platforms. Awards will be announced in September 2011, and projects must be complete by June 2012. Additionally, two recipients will be chosen to be journalists-in-residence at USC Annenberg after the completion of their projects. They will present their work, hold master classes, and give public lectures for the USC community.

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