Our Mission and Model

The Pulitzer Center raises awareness of underreported global issues through direct support for quality journalism across all media platforms and a unique program of education and public outreach. The video below is a quick introduction to our history and mission.

 

Founded in 2006, we are now the largest single source of money for global enterprise reporting—and the only one incorporating this reporting into comprehensive educational programs that extend the impact of the reporting and allow students and the public to engage directly on the issues. The result is sustained reporting and outreach on topics that range from land rights, climate change, global health, and fragile states to justice and women and children.

We are raising awareness of the interconnected nature of the greatest challenges of our times and pointing to possible solutions. We serve global public-interest journalism in a way few organizations can—by engaging wide audiences on deeply reported topics and inspiring the next generation to value credible news and cross-cultural understanding.

Every year:

  • We support more than 150 reporting projects, resulting in more than 600 stories
  • We award $2 million in support to journalists through direct grants and participation in our educational programming
  • We partner with more than 150 news outlets, from The New York Times , PBS NewsHour, and The New Yorker to Vice, The Guardian, and National Geographic–with an increasing focus on U.S. regional and local outlets to ensure we are reaching diverse audiences
  • We organize 700-plus events each year with K-12 schools, colleges, and the public plus annual conferences focused on themes like gender, religion, and justice.
  • We have formal partnerships with 38 colleges and universities, providing on-campus journalist visits and reporting fellowships for students through our Campus Consortium.

Pulitzer Center reporting projects have won Emmys, George Polk Awards, National Magazine Awards, Overseas Press Club Awards, Peabody Awards, BAFTA, and Pulitzer Prizes.

The Pulitzer Center fills a vital gap in coverage of the issues that matter most. Editors and journalists say that without our support these kinds of stories simply wouldn’t happen. Our mission has never been more urgent: to support accurate, responsible journalism and to do everything we can to engage all people, across the political spectrum and the divides of class, race, and religion.

We support journalists, stories, and workplaces that represent and illuminate diversity and inclusion in all forms.

Funded by foundations and donors like you, we are a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. You can support our mission here.

For an overview of our accomplishments in 2019 please see our 2019 annual report.

The Pulitzer Center is not affiliated with Columbia University's Pulitzer Prizes. 


The Pulitzer Center is a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) and the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN)


COVID-19 Update: The connection between local and global issues–the Pulitzer Center's long standing mantra–has, sadly, never been more evident. We are uniquely positioned to serve the journalists, news media organizations, schools and universities we partner with by continuing to advance our core mission: enabling great journalism and education about underreported and systemic issues that resonate now–and continue to have relevance in times ahead. We believe that this is a moment for decisive action. Learn more about the steps we are taking.