The application processs for the new FIRE Greenlight Grant begins on April 27, 2026, the deadline to inquire about a "FIRE Consultancy," a two-hour service that is the gateway to all FIRE grants.

No grant is awarded unless a reporter first receives a FIRE Consultancy. No grant is available outside this process. 

To receive a FIRE Consultancy, you would inquire by email closer to deadline, simply indicating interest in the Greenlight Grant (or inquiring about a standard FIRE grants any time), following application guidelines here.

But any reporter interested in a Greenlight Grant might be advised to broach a story with his or her desired editor as soon as possible, exploring a mutually agreeable arrangement in principle, to most effectively apply for Greenlight Grant story support.

The more prepared you are before the deadline, the more smoothly the process will likely go after the deadline.

To inquire on April 27, 2026, you would not necessarily need a commission from the outlet, or even a letter of commitment, much less a contract—though they may help. 

But after the April 27 deadline, you would need a commitment in principle and agreement on the story and associated terms: You would need a partner to apply with.

To assess the strength of the story, FIRE conducts a minimum two-to-three-week review of inquiries to select initial candidates for the FIRE Consultancy. If your inquiry is accepted, you and the prospective outlet would answer questions about your agreements in principle, via a Google form.

On the form you would answer questions on your own behalf, and on behalf of your outlet. (You may download a draft of the form anonymously here). 

If your answers on the form indicate that your outlet is eligible on Liability Protection, your proposal advances: It would be assessed against those of other applicants and rated on two counts: the story itself and the answers from your outlet on four additional best-practice criteria (safety, intellectual property, pay and expenses, and payment timeliness).

Finalists would be forwarded to a panel of journalism experts for review. The panel would determine the three Greenlight Grant winners.

This entire process may take three months from the time you submit the Google Form, if invited. FIRE would strive to update you as quickly as possible throughout, welcoming questions before and after the deadline.

However, we are not reviewing applications before the deadline: We want all applicants to have equal time to approach outlets and arrange co-applications.

For more on the Greenlight Grants generally, see Applying for Greenlight Grants; for details on selection criteria, Greenlighting Outlets; and for answers on various aspects, Frequently Asked Questions.

If you still have questions after reviewing this material, email us. When you're ready for either the conventional grant (any time) or Greenlight Grant (April 27), you can find application directions here.