Frequently Asked Questions

We welcome working journalists from a variety of fields to become Poynter Fellows, including (but not limited to) traditional journalists, photographers, cinematographers, authors, and visual artists.

Current Yale faculty, students, and staff members are not eligible for the Poynter Fellowship. Faculty members, lecturers, and registered student groups are encouraged to nominate working journalists outside the Yale community.

Every Poynter visit is unique. The format and structure are determined collaboratively by the host and the fellow. Some fellows may come to campus for a single event, while others may participate in conferences or partake in multiple events over several days with various engagements. The range of Poynter events is purposefully diverse and can include public talks or lectures, classroom discussions, Head of College teas, meals with students, and other formats. 

We require all in-person events to take place either on campus or in New Haven. However, we understand that some fellows may not be able to travel to our location. In this situation, we encourage hosts to facilitate a virtual visit with students.

While most Poynter events are open to the public, this is not a requirement. Many hosts will choose to include intimate gatherings such as a classroom visit or meal with students, as part of the visit itinerary.

Yes, you may host multiple fellows for a conference or panel event. To streamline the proposal process, we ask that you include all relevant information for each fellow in one proposal for your conference/panel event.

You may submit multiple proposals for different events, but we typically approve one proposal per host until midway through the fall semester. At that point, we will review our budget and distribute any surplus funds.

We aim to offer a variety of programming during a student’s time at Yale, so we usually don’t invite a fellow more than once within a four-year period. However, if there is a compelling reason for a repeat visit, please note any special circumstances in your proposal.

The Poynter Fellowship typically provides a funding amount of $1,500 per event. However, large-scale, or multi-session events may be eligible for more support. Please include any additional funding requests in your proposal.

Yes, these requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Poynter Fellowship funding can be used at the host’s discretion for expenses related to hosting the fellow, such as honoraria, accommodations, meals, and transportation. All funding must go towards an expense that is directly related to hosting the fellow.

The host/sponsoring department is responsible for booking all travel, setting up all honorariums, reserving the space, arranging AV/catering, etc.

We welcome proposals at any time. Please allow a minimum of ten business days for our team to review submissions. Proposals submitted less than ten business days before the event date might not receive approval.

Please send any questions to poynter@yale.edu.

We value your opinion and would greatly appreciate your feedback through a post-visit survey. Thank you in advance for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.