Presented by OICP at Oxford Brookes University, the David McClure Public Interest Journalism Fellowship will financially support one writing Fellow per year with an award of £15,000.
About the Fellowship
Starting in 2026, the David McClure Public Interest Journalism Fellowship will support one nonfiction writer per year to work on a timely and independent piece of long-form journalism that holds significant relevance within today’s society.
It will focus on public interest journalism which, without this funding, might never be published.
The Fellowship has been created with support from the David McClure Trust Fund, which is managed by trustees Andrew Lownie and Noel Holland, and covers a five-year term up to 2030. Donations towards the Fellowship fund, in order to extend its term, are welcomed.
About David McClure
David McClure was a well-respected news producer, author and journalist whose investigation into institutional privilege resulted in two nonfiction books, and a series of impactful pieces of public interest journalism. He died from cancer in June 2022.
McClure spent a decade on a forensic investigation to uncover the lavish privilege around the British Royal family’s private estates and investments, all of which had been protected from public scrutiny for centuries. Dubbed as ‘bombshell revelations’ by the press, Royal Legacy: How the royal family have made, spent and passed on their wealth (2014), and The Queen's True Worth: Unravelling the public & private finances of Queen Elizabeth II (2020), were both serialised in the UK press and covered extensively by the global media.
Represented by the Andrew Lownie Literary Agency, read more about David McClure’s body of work here.
Funding public interest journalism
The David McClure Public Interest Journalism Fellowship exists to recognise the time-consuming and costly endeavour of rigorously researching and surfacing public interest journalism.
Throughout the decade in which McClure worked on his royal investigations, funding for investigative journalism was in decline and under threat, which the 2019 Cairncross Review also recognised. Today, funding a media system that operates in the interests of an increasingly divided public to hold power to account still remains a key challenge, and one which this award seeks to support.
Fellowship criteria
The selection of the Fellow comes with few conditions. The ultimate decision will be based on how deserving the writer’s proposed investigation is to be in the public domain.
Fellowship selection panel
The Fellow will be selected by an awarding panel made up of OICP and selected members of its two Industry Advisory Boards. Members of the OICP Industry Advisory boards include publishers, literary agents, journalists and authors, and other members of the industry. Please take a look at the Publishing Advisory Board and the Journalism Advisory Board membership for more details.
How to apply
Applicants will apply via this form. Shortlisted candidates will be required to attend an interview online.
Application requirements
The applicant must submit an 1500-word pitch including a synopsis of their investigation and its aims, objectives, key research undertaken and progress to date, what support they need to complete it, and how the funds will be utilised.
Application deadline
Starting in 2026, there will be funding for one Fellow per year for the next five years. Each year, the Fellow will start in September. The annual application deadline is 31 May.
Questions?
Please read our Frequently Asked Questions here for more details. For further queries, press information or to make a donation to the Fellowship fund, please contact OICP Programme Director, Alexandra Shakespeare on .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 22 Aug 2025 •