Brown Institute

Magic Grant Information Session - Columbia
2022-04-05 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Brown Institute at Columbia, 2950 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027, United States
The David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute at Columbia Journalism School and the School of Engineering at Stanford are delighted to announce its 2022-2023 Magic Grant program. Applications are due April 8, 2022!
To provide more information about our grants and the application process, the Brown Institute is hosting virtual Magic Grant Information Sessions on the following dates:

Mon, 4/4 5-6pm EST, REGISTER HERE
Tues, 4/5 1-2pm EST, REGISTER HERE

Each year, the Brown Institute awards close to $1M in grants to help you “follow your passion and experiment with new approaches to storytelling,” to paraphrase Helen Gurley Brown.
Our “Magic Grants” are a unique blend of technology and media. Grantees develop new ways to find and tell stories — producing platforms that extend our creativity, or creating powerful new works of journalism.

A Magic Grant can mean financial support for you and your team for up to a year (fellowships at Columbia, research positions at Stanford)
A Magic Grant can provide funding for your project — for production, prototyping, or purchasing services, software or equipment
A Magic Grant offers access to mentorship and our extensive alumni network

The Magic Grant program provides year-long funding awards of up to $150,000 ($300,000 for teams with members of both the Columbia and Stanford communities and their collaborators). In addition to funding, grantees have access to a distinguished advisory and mentoring group, and an extensive and inspiring alumni network.
If you’re interested in learning more about our Magic Grant offerings, come to our upcoming information session where you can find out:

The types of projects we’re interested in supporting
The various types of support we offer to grantees & fellows
Eligibility guidelines
How our staff can help you develop your proposal
How to apply

If you have any questions, write to us at browninstitute@columbia.edu

Magic Grant Cocktail Hour
2022-04-06 20:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual
Join us Monday and Wednesday nights at 8pm for informal, virtual cocktail hours to talk about your ideas, mingle with peers, and ask general questions about granting opportunities at the Brown Institute. These sessions will take place at ohyay.co/s/cocktail-hour and will be hosted up until the Magic Grant deadline on April 8 at 8PM each night.

Our “Magic Grants” are a unique blend of technology and media. Grantees develop new ways to find and tell stories — producing platforms that extend our creativity, or creating powerful new works of journalism.

A Magic Grant can mean financial support for you and your team for up to a year (fellowships at Columbia, research positions at Stanford)
A Magic Grant can provide funding for your project — for production, prototyping, or purchasing services, software or equipment
A Magic Grant offers access to mentorship and our extensive alumni network

The Magic Grant program provides year-long funding awards of up to $150,000 ($300,000 for teams with members of both the Columbia and Stanford communities and their collaborators). In addition to funding, grantees have access to a distinguished advisory and mentoring group, and an extensive and inspiring alumni network.

Info Session: Brown Institute Venture Challenge Competition
2023-02-17 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom Meeting
The Brown Institute at Columbia Journalism School, in partnership with the Spring ’23 Columbia Venture Competition and Columbia Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Design are pleased to announce a competition for Columbia students, alumni, and their collaborators.
Now in its second year, this Journalism Challenge rewards new entrepreneurial ventures in journalism, media and technology. Perhaps you want to create new kinds of journalism or new kinds of content, design new forms of participation, contribute to our understanding of media and society, or experiment with entirely new ways to communicate.
Join us for this info session designed for the Spring ’23 Brown Institute Innovation Challenge in Journalism, Media, and Technology where you will hear from the Brown Institute and Columbia Entrepreneurship teams, hear from past winners, and meet Justin Hendrix who will facilitate the summer fellowship program at the Brown Institute.
Register Here

About Summer Delaney — Winner of the 2022 Brown Institute Innovation Challenge
Summer will be sharing her best tips for competing in the Innovation Challenge. Summer is an award-winning journalist, content strategist, and member of the creator community. She is the founder and CEO of CollabWORK, the first community-empowered hiring platform that leverages online communities and advanced AI algorithms to match talent with top creative jobs.
Over the past decade, Summer has grown digital communities and produced award-winning content at CNN, Yahoo News with Katie Couric, CBS Interactive and Tribune Media where her videos have received over 500 million views. She has also worked as a consultant and a program manager at Amazon Studios, News Corp, Protégé and Wilde. Summer was honored by the New York State Broadcasters Association during the Excellence in Broadcasting Awards for “Outstanding Social Media Personality.” Her work also contributed to Tribune Media winning several digital innovation awards from the Local Media Association, including best social media strategy and best new digital initiative.
Summer received her BS from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and her MBA from Columbia Business School.
About CollabWORK
CollabWORK is revolutionizing the $140B staffing and talent search industry by leveraging online communities and advanced AI algorithms to match talent with top jobs. Unlocking the power of endorsement at scale through access to curated and exclusive networks, our subscription-based product distributes creative, media, and communications jobs to vetted professional communities of qualified candidates. Our proprietary referral and AI-vetting approach alleviates expensive and arduous recruiting processes for companies, providing the highest quality talent at unparalleled speed and cost efficiency (on average, referred candidates are hired 55% faster than candidates sourced via traditional job sites).
About Justin Hendrix – CEO and Editor, Tech Policy Press. Justin will lead the summer program
Justin is the Founder, CEO, and Editor of the Tech Policy Press, a not-for-profit media and community venture that seeks to advance and influence the public discourse on the relationship between technology and democracy. Justin also currently holds an appointment at New York University as an adjunct Instructor of Integrated Digital Media at the Tandon School of Engineering.
Prior to his current positions, Justin was the Executive Director of the New York City Media Lab which connects companies seeking to advance digital media technologies with university capabilities in order to drive entrepreneurship and innovation. Launched by the New York City Economic Development Corporation, NYU, and Columbia University, NYC Media Lab is a public-private partnership encompassing all the universities of NYC and corporate members such as Viacom, ESPN, Bloomberg, MLB Advanced Media, The Weather Company, Singtel, Hearst, Verizon, Weather Company, NBCUniversal and more. The Lab’s goal is to generate fresh thinking that creates value through research, prototyping, knowledge transfer, talent development, and entrepreneurship.

Brown Institute Mixer and Infosession
2023-02-17 16:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Brown Institute at Columbia, 2950 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027, United States
Drop by and learn about the Brown Institute’s Magic Grants and other programs!
The David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute for Media Innovation is a joint effort between Stanford’s School of Engineering and Columbia Journalism School. Each year, the Brown Institute awards close to $1M in grants to help you “follow your passion and experiment with new approaches to storytelling,” to paraphrase Helen Gurley Brown.
Our “Magic Grants” are a unique blend of technology and media. Grantees develop new ways to find and tell stories — producing platforms that extend our creativity, or creating powerful new works of journalism.

A Magic Grant can mean financial support for you and your team for up to a year (fellowships at Columbia, research positions at Stanford)
A Magic Grant can provide funding for your project — for production, prototyping, or purchasing services, software or equipment
A Magic Grant offers access to mentorship and our extensive alumni network

The Magic Grant program provides year-long funding awards of up to $150,000 ($300,000 for teams with members of both the Columbia and Stanford communities and their collaborators). In addition to funding, grantees have access to a distinguished advisory and mentoring group and an extensive and inspiring alumni network.
This information session is an introduction to the Brown Institute. We’ll cover Magic Grants as well as the other programs we are offering this year.
Register to Attend

Brown Institute Mixer and Infosession
2023-02-20 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Brown Institute at Columbia, 2950 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027, United States
Drop by and learn about the Brown Institute’s Magic Grants and other programs!
The David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute for Media Innovation is a joint effort between Stanford’s School of Engineering and Columbia Journalism School. Each year, the Brown Institute awards close to $1M in grants to help you “follow your passion and experiment with new approaches to storytelling,” to paraphrase Helen Gurley Brown.
Our “Magic Grants” are a unique blend of technology and media. Grantees develop new ways to find and tell stories — producing platforms that extend our creativity, or creating powerful new works of journalism.

A Magic Grant can mean financial support for you and your team for up to a year (fellowships at Columbia, research positions at Stanford)
A Magic Grant can provide funding for your project — for production, prototyping, or purchasing services, software or equipment
A Magic Grant offers access to mentorship and our extensive alumni network

The Magic Grant program provides year-long funding awards of up to $150,000 ($300,000 for teams with members of both the Columbia and Stanford communities and their collaborators). In addition to funding, grantees have access to a distinguished advisory and mentoring group and an extensive and inspiring alumni network.
This information session is an introduction to the Brown Institute. We’ll cover Magic Grants as well as the other programs we are offering this year.

Venture Challenge Information Session
2024-01-23 17:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | Brown Institute at Columbia, 2950 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027, United States
The 2024 Startup Columbia Venture Challenge is open for submissions! For the past three years, Brown has sponsored a “Media Track” for this competition. This is designed for students, recent alumni and faculty who are interested in starting a new venture. These might be for-profit or non-profit and should involve journalism, media and technology in some way.
Join us for an information session on Tuesday, January 23 to learn more about this opportunity! Submissions for the venture challenge are due February 9, 2024.

You can also join this information session virtually on Zoom.
Maybe you have an idea about how AI can help reporters in small newsrooms
Maybe you’re interested in encouraging new forms of collaboration between reporters
Maybe you want to make working with data on your beat easier
Maybe tools for the verification of images is important
Maybe you’re imagining a single-subject news site, or maybe it’s a tool or platform, or maybe is a consultancy
The Media Track of Startup Columbia consists of two rounds of “pitch sessions” in which you prepare a short presentation about your idea and deliver it to a group of judges. After your first interaction, you refine your pitch (maybe sharpen your idea) and have the chance to present for a second round. After that, in mid-March, we name three winners who receive cash prizes. The winners also receive scholarships for the Brown Institute’s 2024 Summer Entrepreneurship Program where they really work through their ideas. At the end of the summer we will have one final competition for the three challenge winners, this one possibly ending in a grant for up to $100k!
Ah but you will not go it alone. We have four Entrepreneurs in Residence who can help you refine your idea. And the Brown Institute staff is always around to lend a hand! Good luck!

Venture Challenge Information Session
2024-01-31 08:00 - 09:00 (America/New_York) | Brown Institute at Columbia, 2950 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027, United States
The 2024 Startup Columbia Venture Challenge is open for submissions! For the past three years, Brown has sponsored a “Media Track” for this competition. This is designed for students, recent alumni and faculty who are interested in starting a new venture. These might be for-profit or non-profit and should involve journalism, media and technology in some way.
Join us for an information session on Wednesday, January 31 to learn more about this opportunity! Breakfast will be served!

The session will also be broadcast on Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85884818713?pwd=[REDACTED]
Maybe you have an idea about how AI can help reporters in small newsrooms
Maybe you’re interested in encouraging new forms of collaboration between reporters
Maybe you want to make working with data on your beat easier
Maybe tools for the verification of images is important
Maybe you’re imagining a single-subject news site, or maybe it’s a tool or platform, or maybe is a consultancy
The Media Track of Startup Columbia consists of two rounds of “pitch sessions” in which you prepare a short presentation about your idea and deliver it to a group of judges. After your first interaction, you refine your pitch (maybe sharpen your idea) and have the chance to present for a second round. After that, in mid-March, we name three winners who receive cash prizes. The winners also receive scholarships for the Brown Institute’s 2024 Summer Entrepreneurship Program where they really work through their ideas. At the end of the summer we will have one final competition for the three challenge winners, this one possibly ending in a grant for up to $100k! Submissions for the venture challenge are due February 9, 2024.
Ah but you will not go it alone. We have four Entrepreneurs in Residence who can help you refine your idea. And the Brown Institute staff is always around to lend a hand! Good luck!

Magic Grant Information Session (Columbia)
2024-02-07 08:00 - 09:00, 2024-03-04 17:00 - 18:00, 2024-03-27 08:00 - 09:00 (America/New_York) | Brown Institute at Columbia, 2950 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027, United States
The David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute at Columbia Journalism School and the School of Engineering at Stanford are delighted to announce its 2023-2024 Magic Grant program. Applications are due March 29, 2024!
To provide more information about our grants and the application process, the Brown Institute is hosting Magic Grant Information Sessions on the following dates:

Wed, 2/7 8-9am ET
Mon, 3/4 5-6pm ET
Mon, 3/18 5-6pm ET
Wed, 3/27 8-9am ET

Each year, the Brown Institute awards close to $1M in grants to help you “follow your passion and experiment with new approaches to storytelling,” to paraphrase Helen Gurley Brown.
Our “Magic Grants” are a unique blend of technology and media. Grantees develop new ways to find and tell stories — producing platforms that extend our creativity, or creating powerful new works of journalism.

A Magic Grant can mean financial support for you and your team for up to a year (fellowships at Columbia, research positions at Stanford)
A Magic Grant can provide funding for your project — for production, prototyping, or purchasing services, software or equipment
A Magic Grant offers access to mentorship and our extensive alumni network

The Magic Grant program provides year-long funding awards of up to $150,000 ($300,000 for teams with members of both the Columbia and Stanford communities and their collaborators). In addition to funding, grantees have access to a distinguished advisory and mentoring group, and an extensive and inspiring alumni network.
If you’re interested in learning more about our Magic Grant offerings, come to our upcoming information session where you can find out:

The types of projects we’re interested in supporting
The various types of support we offer to grantees & fellows
Eligibility guidelines
How our staff can help you develop your proposal
How to apply

If you have any questions, write to us at browninstitute@columbia.edu.

Magic Grant Information Session (Columbia)
2024-03-18 17:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | Brown Institute at Columbia, 2950 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027, United States
Today’s Zoom link: https://columbiauniversity.zoom.us/j/92102189690?pwd=[REDACTED]
The David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute at Columbia Journalism School and the School of Engineering at Stanford are delighted to announce its 2023-2024 Magic Grant program. Applications are due March 29, 2024!
To provide more information about our grants and the application process, the Brown Institute is hosting Magic Grant Information Sessions on the following dates:

Mon, 3/18 5-6pm ET
Wed, 3/27 8-9am ET

Each year, the Brown Institute awards close to $1M in grants to help you “follow your passion and experiment with new approaches to storytelling,” to paraphrase Helen Gurley Brown.
Our “Magic Grants” are a unique blend of technology and media. Grantees develop new ways to find and tell stories — producing platforms that extend our creativity, or creating powerful new works of journalism.

A Magic Grant can mean financial support for you and your team for up to a year (fellowships at Columbia, research positions at Stanford)
A Magic Grant can provide funding for your project — for production, prototyping, or purchasing services, software or equipment
A Magic Grant offers access to mentorship and our extensive alumni network

The Magic Grant program provides year-long funding awards of up to $150,000 ($300,000 for teams with members of both the Columbia and Stanford communities and their collaborators). In addition to funding, grantees have access to a distinguished advisory and mentoring group, and an extensive and inspiring alumni network.
If you’re interested in learning more about our Magic Grant offerings, come to our upcoming information session where you can find out:

The types of projects we’re interested in supporting
The various types of support we offer to grantees & fellows
Eligibility guidelines
How our staff can help you develop your proposal
How to apply

If you have any questions, write to us at browninstitute@columbia.edu.

Exploring Startup Opportunities in News and Media - Open House
2024-12-04 12:00 - 13:00, 2024-12-11 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Brown Institute at Columbia, 2950 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027, United States
The Brown Institute provides several opportunities for our students and alumni community to engage in innovative projects and competitions. Whether you’re interested in pioneering new approaches to storytelling, launching a media venture, or seeking mentorship to refine your ideas, we have programs designed to support your ambitions.
Join us for a mixer and open house to learn more about these opportunities and to speak with current grantees about their experiences with the program. See below for a highlight of the programs we will be discussing.

Magic Grant Program
Our flagship Magic Grant Program was established to support innovative projects at the intersection of media and technology. We offer year-long funding awards of up to $150,000 and up to $300,000 for teams that include members from both Columbia and Stanford universities. Grantees receive financial support, mentorship from a distinguished advisory group, and access to our extensive alumni network to develop new ways to find and tell stories, from creating powerful works of journalism to developing platforms that extend creativity.

Call for Proposals Opens: January 2025
Proposal Deadline: Late March 2025
Awards Announced: End of April 2025

Read about our newest cohort of projects and learn more about how to apply in 2025.
Startup Columbia Venture Competition: Media Track
The Startup Columbia Venture Competition is a campus-wide series offering non-dilutive cash prizes to winning teams. The Media Track, sponsored by the Brown Institute, encourages applications from tech-based or tech-enabled ventures working in journalism or media. This includes novel uses of AI, machine learning, data visualization, VR/AR, and more.

Prizes: $15,000 for first place, $10,000 for second place, and $5,000 for third place
Additional Opportunity: Paid 12-week fellowships for up to two people per team to participate in Brown’s 2025 Summer Entrepreneurship Program
Final Competition Prize: Up to $100,000 to continue work on your venture

This opportunity is intended for early-stage ventures founded, managed, and owned by current Columbia students or by Columbia alumni within 5 years of their most recent Columbia degree. Applications open in early January 2025, and pitches are due at the beginning of February. More details will be announced on Startup Columbia and the Brown Institute sites.
Entrepreneurs-in-Residence Program
As a service to our community, we offer an Entrepreneurs-in-Residence program composed of a cohort of seasoned entrepreneurs. They are available to help you think through proposal ideas and strengthen pitches prior to application for any of our competitions. For more information or to schedule a session, please reach out to us at browninstitute@columbia.edu.

Magic Grant Information Session (Columbia)
2025-03-03 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-03-14 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-03-31 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Brown Institute at Columbia, 2950 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027, United States
The David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute at Columbia Journalism School and the School of Engineering at Stanford are delighted to announce its 2025-2026 Magic Grant program. Applications are due April 3, 2025! To provide more information about our grants and the application process, the Brown Institute is hosting Magic Grant Information Sessions.
Each year, the Brown Institute awards close to $1M in grants to help you “follow your passion and experiment with new approaches to storytelling,” to paraphrase Helen Gurley Brown.
Our “Magic Grants” are a unique blend of technology and media. Grantees develop new ways to find and tell stories — producing platforms that extend our creativity, or creating powerful new works of journalism.

A Magic Grant can mean financial support for you and your team for up to a year (fellowships at Columbia, research positions at Stanford)
A Magic Grant can provide funding for your project — for production, prototyping, or purchasing services, software or equipment
A Magic Grant offers access to mentorship and our extensive alumni network

The Magic Grant program provides year-long funding awards of up to $150,000 ($300,000 for teams with members of both the Columbia and Stanford communities and their collaborators). In addition to funding, grantees have access to a distinguished advisory and mentoring group, and an extensive and inspiring alumni network.
If you’re interested in learning more about our Magic Grant offerings, come to our upcoming information session where you can find out:

The types of projects we’re interested in supporting
The various types of support we offer to grantees & fellows
Eligibility guidelines
How our staff can help you develop your proposal
How to apply

If you have any questions, write to us at browninstitute@columbia.edu.

Magic Grant Information Session (Stanford)
2025-03-13 16:30 - 17:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Brown Institute at Stanford (CoDa Building, E301), 389 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States
The David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute at Columbia Journalism School and the School of Engineering at Stanford are delighted to announce its 2025-2026 Magic Grant program. Applications are due April 3, 2025.
To provide more information about our grants and the application process, the Brown Institute is hosting Magic Grant Information Sessions on the following dates:

March 13, 2025
March 30, 2025
April 1, 2025

Each year, the Brown Institute awards close to $1M in grants and fellowships to foster new tools and modes of expression, and to create stories that escape the bounds of page and screen. We are committed to radical experimentation with the potential to define new priorities and practices for both engineering and journalism.
The “Magic Grant” program provides year-long funding awards ranging from $10,000 to $150,000 (up to $300,000 for teams with members of both the Columbia and Stanford communities). In addition to funding, grantees have access to a distinguished advisory and mentoring group, support for professional development, and connections to an extensive and inspiring alumni network.
If you’re interested in learning more about our Magic Grant offerings, come to our upcoming information session where you can find out:

The types of projects we’re interested in supporting
The various types of support we offer to grantees & fellows
Eligibility guidelines
How our staff can help you develop your proposal
How to apply

If you have any questions, write to us at brown_institute@stanford.edu

Magic Grant Information Session (Stanford)
2025-03-20 16:00 - 18:00, 2025-04-01 16:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Brown Institute at Stanford (CoDa Building, E301), 389 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States
The David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute at Columbia Journalism School and the School of Engineering at Stanford are delighted to announce its 2025-2026 Magic Grant program. Applications are due April 3, 2025.
To provide more information about our grants and the application process, the Brown Institute is hosting Magic Grant Information Sessions on the following dates:

March 13, 2025
March 20, 2025
April 1, 2025

Each year, the Brown Institute awards close to $1M in grants and fellowships to foster new tools and modes of expression, and to create stories that escape the bounds of page and screen. We are committed to radical experimentation with the potential to define new priorities and practices for both engineering and journalism.
The “Magic Grant” program provides year-long funding awards ranging from $10,000 to $150,000 (up to $300,000 for teams with members of both the Columbia and Stanford communities). In addition to funding, grantees have access to a distinguished advisory and mentoring group, support for professional development, and connections to an extensive and inspiring alumni network.
If you’re interested in learning more about our Magic Grant offerings, come to our upcoming information session where you can find out:

The types of projects we’re interested in supporting
The various types of support we offer to grantees & fellows
Eligibility guidelines
How our staff can help you develop your proposal
How to apply

If you have any questions, write to us at brown_institute@stanford.edu

2026 Venture Competition Information Session
2026-01-28 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Brown Institute at Columbia, 2950 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027, United States
Join us for snacks and coffee to learn about the 2026 Startup Columbia Venture Competition! At this information session, we’ll give an overview of the program, answer your questions, and give you a chance to meet other folks thinking about applying. We will also be joined by Sarah Ryley, winner of the most recent Venture Challenge and founder of The Source Report.
For the past five years, the Brown Institute has sponsored the “Media Track” of Startup Columbia, a campus-wide competition offering non-dilutive cash prizes to winning teams. The Media Track is designed for students, recent alumni, and faculty interested in starting a venture—for-profit or non-profit—involving journalism, media, and technology. Maybe you’ve been thinking about how AI can help reporters in small newsrooms, or you want to build tools for image verification, or make it easier for journalists to work with data. Maybe you’re imagining a single-subject news site, a platform, or a consultancy. We want to hear it.
The competition includes two rounds of pitch sessions where you’ll refine your idea with feedback from judges. Winners receive cash prizes, scholarships to the Brown Institute’s 2026 Summer Entrepreneurship Program, and a shot at a grant of up to $100,000.
Applications are due February 3. Apply at entrepreneurship.columbia.edu/startupcolumbia (select Media Track). Questions? Reach out to browninstitute@columbia.edu?

Magic Grant Information Session (Columbia)
2026-03-02 12:30 - 13:30, 2026-03-12 12:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | Brown Institute at Columbia, 2950 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027, United States
The David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute at Columbia Journalism School and the School of Engineering at Stanford are delighted to announce its 2026-2027 Magic Grant program. Applications are due April 1, 2026! To provide more information about our grants and the application process, the Brown Institute is hosting Magic Grant Information Sessions.
Each year, the Brown Institute awards close to $1M in grants to help you “follow your passion and experiment with new approaches to storytelling,” to paraphrase Helen Gurley Brown.
Our “Magic Grants” are a unique blend of technology and media. Grantees develop new ways to find and tell stories — producing platforms that extend our creativity, or creating powerful new works of journalism.

A Magic Grant can mean financial support for you and your team for up to a year (fellowships at Columbia, research positions at Stanford)
A Magic Grant can provide funding for your project — for production, prototyping, or purchasing services, software or equipment
A Magic Grant offers access to mentorship and our extensive alumni network

The Magic Grant program provides year-long funding awards of up to $150,000 ($300,000 for teams with members of both the Columbia and Stanford communities and their collaborators). In addition to funding, grantees have access to a distinguished advisory and mentoring group, and an extensive and inspiring alumni network.
If you’re interested in learning more about our Magic Grant offerings, come to our upcoming information session where you can find out:

The types of projects we’re interested in supporting
The various types of support we offer to grantees & fellows
Eligibility guidelines
How our staff can help you develop your proposal
How to apply

Register to Attend an Information Session
If you have any questions, write to us at browninstitute@columbia.edu.

Magic Grant Information Session (Stanford)
2026-03-05 16:00 - 17:30, 2026-03-19 16:00 - 17:30, 2026-03-30 16:00 - 17:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Brown Institute at Stanford (CoDa Building, E301), 389 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States
The David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute at Columbia Journalism School and the School of Engineering at Stanford are delighted to announce its 2026-2027 Magic Grant program. Applications are due April 1, 2026! To provide more information about our grants and the application process, the Brown Institute is hosting Magic Grant Information Sessions.
Each year, the Brown Institute awards close to $1M in grants to help you “follow your passion and experiment with new approaches to storytelling,” to paraphrase Helen Gurley Brown.
Our “Magic Grants” are a unique blend of technology and media. Grantees develop new ways to find and tell stories — producing platforms that extend our creativity, or creating powerful new works of journalism.

A Magic Grant can mean financial support for you and your team for up to a year (fellowships at Columbia, research positions at Stanford)
A Magic Grant can provide funding for your project — for production, prototyping, or purchasing services, software or equipment
A Magic Grant offers access to mentorship and our extensive alumni network

The Magic Grant program provides year-long funding awards of up to $150,000 ($300,000 for teams with members of both the Columbia and Stanford communities and their collaborators). In addition to funding, grantees have access to a distinguished advisory and mentoring group, and an extensive and inspiring alumni network.
If you’re interested in learning more about our Magic Grant offerings, come to our upcoming information session where you can find out:

The types of projects we’re interested in supporting
The various types of support we offer to grantees & fellows
Eligibility guidelines
How our staff can help you develop your proposal
How to apply

If you have any questions, write to us at brown_institute@stanford.edu.

Magic Grant Information Session (Columbia)
2026-03-30 17:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual (Information Session)
The David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute at Columbia Journalism School and the School of Engineering at Stanford are delighted to announce its 2026-2027 Magic Grant program. Applications are due April 1, 2026! To provide more information about our grants and the application process, the Brown Institute is hosting Magic Grant Information Sessions.
Each year, the Brown Institute awards close to $1M in grants to help you “follow your passion and experiment with new approaches to storytelling,” to paraphrase Helen Gurley Brown.
Our “Magic Grants” are a unique blend of technology and media. Grantees develop new ways to find and tell stories — producing platforms that extend our creativity, or creating powerful new works of journalism.

A Magic Grant can mean financial support for you and your team for up to a year (fellowships at Columbia, research positions at Stanford)
A Magic Grant can provide funding for your project — for production, prototyping, or purchasing services, software or equipment
A Magic Grant offers access to mentorship and our extensive alumni network

The Magic Grant program provides year-long funding awards of up to $150,000 ($300,000 for teams with members of both the Columbia and Stanford communities and their collaborators). In addition to funding, grantees have access to a distinguished advisory and mentoring group, and an extensive and inspiring alumni network.
If you’re interested in learning more about our Magic Grant offerings, come to our upcoming information session where you can find out:

The types of projects we’re interested in supporting
The various types of support we offer to grantees & fellows
Eligibility guidelines
How our staff can help you develop your proposal
How to apply

Register to Attend an Information Session
Zoom for Information Session
If you have any questions, write to us at browninstitute@columbia.edu.
