The Nathan S. Collier Business Reporting Program
Learn how to follow the money and ask the hard questions. The fully funded, five-day Nathan S. Collier Business Reporting Program provides the critical, in-depth skills necessary for reporters who want to cover the world of business and finance.
“To create the greatest possible prosperity for society, business needs both accountability and intelligent regulation. The Nathan S. Collier Business Reporting Program is designed to provide that foundational knowledge.”
– Nathan S. Collier, real estate entrepreneur, philanthropist and longtime Columbia Journalism Review Board of Overseers member
The Program
Participants will convene for a five-day workshop, held this year from October 26 to October 30, 2026, in New York City on Columbia University’s Morningside campus. The seminar includes instruction from Columbia University faculty, industry experts and accomplished journalists on best practices and essential frameworks of business, finance and economics reporting — from accounting and markets to covering the impacts of Artificial Intelligence. Participants will also have the opportunity to visit financial and journalism institutions in the city, while building their network of business journalists.
Who Should Attend
The program is designed for early to mid-career journalists who cover beats that revolve around money. This can mean local business reporting, but it also includes reporters who cover government budgets and policy, the financial side of sports, the arts, healthcare or how technology is changing the workplace. Only reporters living and working in the United States and its territories are eligible for the program in October 2026.
Financial Information
The program is fully funded. A $2.4 million gift from entrepreneur, philanthropist, and longtime Columbia Journalism Review Board of Overseers member Nathan S. Collier covers the full cost of the program for all ten fellows, participants’ transportation, meals and lodging — ensuring talent and potential, not financial means, determine access to resources and instruction.
This five-day fellowship includes all tuition and fees, airfare, lodging while in New York City and ground transportation. Breakfast and lunches on class days are also included.
The Application
The application is now open. There are ten (10) total fellowships available. The application requires:
- a CV outlining your professional and educational experiences;
- a short essay (up to 250 words) that gives us a better understanding of your professional experience reporting on business, finance, or economics; your interest in the program; and how you believe this program will strengthen your reporting and improve your skills as a journalist;
- two clips of your business, finance or economics reporting of which you are particularly proud and which are representative of your work more broadly;
- two letters of support. One of these letters must be from your current supervisor or manager and include support for the five days that will be required out of the office.
Important Dates and Deadlines
- The application is open now.
- The application will close at 11:59pm ET on September 14, 2026. Letters of support may be sent in after the deadline, as our system only sends out requests for these after an applicant has submitted an application. That said, the strongest applications will be those that are complete at the time of review.
- Initial decisions will be released the week of September 28, 2026.
- Columbia Journalism School reserves the right to adjust all dates and deadlines.