The Knight Program in Media and Religion at USC Annenberg announced this week that applications will be accepted in spring 2011 for stipends to report on religion and social issues in the United States. An application and more information about the program will be available online in March.

The stipends will support coverage of stories that illuminate how religion engages contemporary domestic social justice issues such as poverty, health care, sexuality, immigration, labor practices, racial profiling and civil rights. The stipends of up to $20,000 will subsidize travel, living and miscellaneous costs. They 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.

Staff reporters, affiliated freelancers and self-employed web journalists, working in the U.S. and who cover politics, social and cultural issues as well as generalists and religion specialists will be encouraged to apply.

"We're looking for coverage that shows how religion engages with social issues. Sometimes it seems to help; other times it appears to hinder. Either way it's a key factor," said Diane Winston (pictured), Knight Chair in Media and Religion at USC Annenberg. "If we get great stories, maybe we can encourage media outlets to follow suit."

Within the six-month period following their award, stipend recipients will report stories that reflect the grant's theme: how religion engages contemporary domestic social justice issues — from debates on family and marriage to conflicts over health care coverage to questions about the role of religious social service providers. Stories will be developed for delivery on multiple platforms -- print, radio, TV, online.

At the completion of their projects, several stipend recipients will spend three days in residence at USC to present their work, hold master classes for journalism students, and give public lectures for the USC community.

Support for domestic reporting on religion and social issues is the second funding program that the Knight Program has established. The Knight Luce Fellowship for global reporting on religion will announce its first group of fellows in early 2011.