Magic Grant Program

Magic Grant Program is sponsored by David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute for Media Innovation (Columbia University and Stanford University). This program awards grants to develop new ways to find and tell stories, blending technology and media.

Propose – Brown Institute The Brown Institute for Media Innovation announces its 2026-2027 “Magic Grant” funding opportunity The Magic Grant Program . 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 $1M+ in grants to help you “follow your passion and experiment with new stories, new kinds of stories, and new tools for 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.

Financial support (salaries) for you and your team for up to a year — through post-graduate fellowships at Columbia and research positions at Stanford Project funding for production, prototyping, software, services, and equipment Professional development opportunities , including training in entrepreneurship and other specialized skills 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. Successful Magic Grant projects have taken various forms — from novel works of journalism to new software platforms, and even innovations in hardware. Since its founding, the Brown Institute has funded over 150 projects and nearly 400 people through its Magic Grant program.

We have backed new ventures in speech analysis and data sharing ( Screenlake , Talkwell ), the creation of AI-based editing tools that simplify audio and video production ( RoughCut , Pali ), advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning ( Motico , alphaXiv ), the curation of data sets and new database technologies to support journalism ( Datashare , Democracy Fighters ), and significant stories exploring new modes of expression through data visualization and immersion ( Reaching for Air , Kinfolk ).

Through the Magic Grant program, we have promoted the work of journalists, computer scientists, engineers, artists, designers, and communications and digital humanities scholars. A complete list can be found on our website . For the upcoming 2026-2027 granting cycle, we are particularly interested in supporting bicoastal projects that have team members both at Columbia and at Stanford universities.

(If you are a faculty member at either school and are interested in connecting with faculty at the other campus, we encourage you to reach out to us at browninstitute@columbia. edu or brown_institute@stanford. edu for assistance.)

Magic Grant Evaluation and Requirements Magic Grant proposals are evaluated on: 1) the originality of the project; 2) its potential for impact; 3) the strength of the team; and 4) the timeline outlined to complete the work. Each of these areas should be clearly addressed in the proposal. Precisely who is eligible to receive funding under a Magic Grant varies by campus; please carefully review our eligibility criteria before applying.

The Institute will give special consideration to “bicoastal” proposals, those having team members or collaborators from both institutions. Attendance at quarterly “All-Hands” review meetings held virtually is mandatory. In addition, grantees attend an annual retreat, held either in New York or California.

For these meetings, the Brown Institute will cover lodging and travel costs. At Columbia, Magic Grant recipients should spend part of their time working on their grants at the Brown Institute at Columbia University during the year of award, assuming they are in the NYC area.

Details of the Application Process A successful Magic Grant application clearly explains a unique story or technological advance and outlines a one-year (or less) plan for its realization.

We seek applications from teams of students, faculty, and alumni, as well as practitioners working in areas relevant to media and technology who have connections to our universities (along with collaborators who might be outside either Stanford or Columbia) Magic Grant applications should be submitted via Submittable. Applicants applying to the Columbia program will input responses into the prompts provided through Submittable.

Stanford applicants will be responsible for incorporating these prompts into a three-page written proposal. Bicoastal applicants will also apply using a three-page written proposal summarizing their project. 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 : The Brown Institute’s mission calls for broadening opportunities and expanding participation in Engineering and Journalism.

And the Institute values a broad range of perspectives, ideas, and experiences. How does your proposed project compare to similar work in your field? What similarities does it share, and in what ways does your project take a fresh or innovative approach?

Framed another way, how does your team and project bring forward new perspectives, voices, or stories that have been left out or unexplored? In your answer, be sure to address what exists that is most similar. Success/Impact : Please describe the anticipated impact of your project, focusing on both its immediate outcomes and its long-term contributions to the field or community it addresses.

How do you plan to measure and evaluate this impact over time? Propose one or more measures that will guide discussions about how you’re doing, identifying where things are going great and where we could be of help. List not more than three measures for your project.

Challenges and Risks : Explain any potential challenges or obstacles in achieving success with your project and how you intend to address them. Also reference any risks or unintended consequences that might stem from your work.

Entrepreneurship : The Brown Institute is especially interested in supporting projects that can have extended impact beyond the year of the grant as commercial or non-profit entrepreneurial ventures that allow the public to benefit from the work. Describe the entrepreneurial venture your project might lead to and the kind of extended impact such a venture would enable.

(Not Required) Team Members : Name/Email/Role on Project Resume : Résumé/CV of each team member Transcripts : Most recent transcript(s) of each individual on the team. Transcript requirements vary by campus — please consult our FAQ page for more information. Faculty Involvement (for Stanford) : Name and description of how faculty will be involved in supporting the project.

Optional Support Material : You may submit a PDF document of up to 1 page in length to accompany your proposal. You may use this document to provide illustrations, images and photographs to accompany your proposal. Letters of Support : Columbia applicants need to submit two letters of support that assess the importance of the project and its chances of success.

Budget : A budget for 12 months not exceeding a total of $150,000. The budget can include financial support of the team members (e.g. tuition remission and salary in accordance with University guidelines); cost for specialized hardware, software, and materials; travel, services; etc. and should follow the rules of the respective university. Each line item must be justified.

Columbia applicants must use the budget template provided here . Stanford applicants should use the budget template provided here . Budgets will be evaluated on the scale and scope of the project and team personnel.

When awarding Magic Grants, the Brown Institute may adjust budgets according to review committee recommendations and available funds.

Proposal submission deadline: April 1, 2026 (11:59PM PT) Announcement of finalists: April 10, 2026 Presentation/Q&A by Stanford finalists (virtual): April 24, 2026 Presentation/Q&A by Columbia finalists (virtual): April 27, 2026 Announcement of winners: April 30, 2026 Projects start: September 2026 (Summer 2026 by special arrangement) Selection of Magic Grant Winners Judging will take place in a two-step process.

First, based on the reviews of the written applications, a small number of teams will be selected as finalists at each university. Finalists will then be invited to submit a 3-minute presentation video for review. Following the video review, finalists will participate in a virtual Q&A session.

We encourage any supporting faculty or outside advisors to join us for the Q&A, though their attendance is not mandatory. Finalist presentations will be organized both at Columbia and Stanford, each with its own jury. Bicoastal teams should be prepared to present at both events — Stanford team members leading the presentation at Stanford, and Columbia team members leading at Columbia.