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"Magic Grant" is currently closed and not accepting applications.
Magic Grant is a grant from the David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute for Media Innovation, a joint program of Stanford's School of Engineering and Columbia Journalism School, that funds imaginative projects at the intersection of journalism and technology.
Each year the Institute awards more than $1 million in Magic Grants supporting individuals and teams with bold ideas for new storytelling tools, data journalism platforms, and media innovation projects. The 2026-2027 application deadline was April 1, 2026. Eligible applicants are individuals or teams associated with Columbia or Stanford working on media innovation.
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Or search similar grants →Key questions and narrative sections extracted from the solicitation.
Project Summary: In one sentence, tell us what you intend to do with your Magic Grant.
Project Description: Please provide your project in more detail, highlighting the specific outcomes and deliverables you hope to achieve.
Timeline: Provide a timeline for your funding period, detailing specific milestones of your project.
Innovation/Originality: How does your proposed project compare to similar work in your field?
Success/Impact: Please describe the anticipated impact of your project.
Challenges and Risks: Explain any potential challenges or obstacles and how you intend to address them.
Entrepreneurship: Describe the entrepreneurial venture your project might lead to. (Not Required)
Scoring criteria used to review proposals for this grant.
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Not explicitly detailed, but implied for individuals/teams associated with Columbia or Stanford, working on media innovation projects. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The published deadline was April 1, 2026, which has passed. Check the official notice for any future application windows before investing time in a proposal.
Magic Grant is funded by Brown Institute for Media Innovation (Columbia University). Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Applications go through the funder's official portal — the Apply Now link on this page goes there directly.
The solicitation lists 5 required documents: Resume/CV of each team member, Most recent transcripts of each team member, Budget for 12 months (max $150K) using campus-specific template, Two letters of support (Columbia applicants), and Optional: up to 1-page PDF of supporting illustrations/images. Check the official notice for formatting and page-limit rules.
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