RSF Berlin Fellowship for Journalists at Risk: 2026 Call Closed, New Opportunities Expected in Fall 2026 (Stipend, Visa and Housing Covered)

Status: the 2026 round is closed. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Germany states plainly on its official fellowship page that “THE CALL FOR APPLICATIONS 2026 IS NOW CLOSED.” The published deadline was 15 January 2026 at 23:59 CET. The selected cohort’s fellowship runs from June until November 2026, so this page is now a historical reference rather than an open application listing.

No next-cycle deadline has been published. RSF’s own wording is the only reliable forward-looking statement available: “Please watch this space and our social media presence for new fellowship opportunities to be announced in the Fall of 2026.” The practical advice on this page is therefore not “apply now” but to prepare carefully and monitor the official page before relying on any third-party listing.

One more thing worth flagging, because stale listings still circulate it: the old application form hosted at forms.projectresources.org is no longer an application route. The form reports that the survey is expired and no longer available. Do not spend time looking for a way through it. The pages to watch are RSF Germany’s call for applications page and the Berlin Fellowship Program overview.

At a Glance

What the Program Actually Is

RSF Germany brings journalists from crisis regions and countries with restricted press freedom to Berlin for four to six months and puts them through a hands-on training program in digital security. The Berlin Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises has funded it since 2018; in 2025 it was additionally supported by a fundraising campaign that included the Friede Springer Foundation.

The structure has two halves. First, fellows learn to protect themselves and their sources against digital threats. Second — and this is the part applicants often underplay — fellows build their own training concept so they can pass the knowledge to colleagues back home. RSF is explicit that the goal is to create multipliers for digital self-defense, and that conducting at least one workshop or training session in your country of residence after the fellowship is a program requirement, not a nice-to-have.

The 2026 edition, per RSF’s description, includes a comprehensive hands-on digital security curriculum with individual risk assessment, workshops on safety and resilience for journalists covering sensitive issues, peer-to-peer exchange within a cohort drawn from different regions and professional backgrounds, insight into RSF’s work as a human rights organization, networking with German media professionals and newsrooms, meetings with people across German civil society and policy, and holistic support for individual psychosocial needs.

There is also a structural change worth knowing about before the next call: beginning with the 2026 cycle, RSF runs only one yearly fellowship program in Berlin. It combines elements of previously hosted programs to offer a broader range of topics. The taz Panter Foundation’s “Rest & Resilience” fellowship is offered separately in close cooperation with RSF, with its own application portal. That is a different opportunity and should not be confused with the RSF Berlin application.

The Training Curriculum

RSF publishes the workshop topics, which is useful for judging fit. The program covers holistic security basics for journalists, bloggers, media professionals and citizen journalists at risk; operational security including risk assessments and security planning; online identity management for investigative journalists, including the technical background and practical use of anonymization tools; secure online communication concepts, technology and tools, including secure conferencing for interviews; password and account security plus data protection on social media and other work accounts; device security for computers and mobile phones; website security for media sites under attack; secure online and offline data storage, including encryption for media files; online information verification and open source intelligence; and concepts for countering digital violence, meaning online gender-based violence, doxxing, impersonation and trolling.

You do not need to arrive as a security expert. RSF states directly that a high existing level of digital security proficiency is not required, and that anyone used to working with a computer and a smartphone can apply. What matters is a genuine interest in going deep on the subject.

Eligibility, in RSF’s Own Terms

The fellowship is open to working journalists with at least three years of professional experience, including full-time staff, freelancers and citizen journalists, in any type of medium. RSF says it actively seeks diversity and encourages applicants from varied backgrounds.

A few conditions narrow the field, and they are where most hopeful applicants fall out:

• RSF can only support journalists working in independent media. Anyone employed by government or politically affiliated media will not be considered.
• The fellowship is open to applicants from any country where they are at significant risk because of their journalistic work — it is not limited to one region or continent.
• You must be able to demonstrate that returning to your country of residence at the end of the fellowship is possible, because that is required for the visa application.
• Investigative journalists working on human rights-related subjects such as the climate crisis, corruption, labor rights or migration receive positive consideration in selection.
• The program runs entirely in English, and fellows are expected to speak, read and write it fluently.

The return requirement matters for both eligibility and the visa process. Applicants must demonstrate that returning to their country or region of residence after the fellowship is possible. RSF also cautions that assistance with the visa process does not automatically guarantee a positive or timely visa decision. Anyone whose circumstances make that return requirement unclear should resolve the issue before applying or ask RSF for clarification through the published fellowship contacts.

What RSF Covers

Alongside the program itself, RSF covers visa and travel expenses, assistance with all visa-related matters, a furnished studio apartment in Berlin for the whole fellowship, a monthly stipend for living expenses, travel and health insurance, public transportation costs within Germany, travel to networking events and journalism conferences, a co-working space in a Berlin media hub, and touristic and social activities. RSF does not publish the stipend amount, so treat any specific figure you see elsewhere as unverified.

Family members are not included. The official invitation does not extend to them, costs are not covered, and RSF cannot help obtain visas for them. If dependents are part of your calculation, plan around that from the start.

What Fellows Are Expected to Do

This is a full commitment, not a work residency. RSF expects fellows to be available for all program activities, averaging roughly 20 to 25 hours per week on training, workshops and activities. There are breaks in programming that can be tailored individually for travel or work, but keeping a full-time editorial schedule alongside the fellowship is not possible, and RSF says so directly: consult your newsroom and regular clients before applying so you can genuinely participate.

Fellows are also expected to exchange candidly with peers about their processes, experiences and challenges; to share what they learn with colleagues in their home region; and to return to their home region or country of residence afterwards. You cannot work for RSF as a journalist during the fellowship — RSF is a human rights organization, not a newsroom, and it will not publish or distribute your articles, films or research. It will, however, aim to connect you with German newsrooms and civil society figures relevant to your reporting. Appearing in public to promote the program is not mandatory; RSF says individual safety takes priority at all times.

How the Next Cycle Will Likely Work

RSF has not published the mechanics or deadline of the next call. The following describes the verified 2026 process and the safe preparation steps that follow from it; it is not a promise about the next application window.

The verified 2026 application route was an online form linked from RSF’s official call page. Applicants registered through that link, completed the form, uploaded the required documents, and submitted by 15 January 2026 at 23:59 CET. That form is now expired. RSF has not published a replacement form, document list, or selection timetable for the next opportunity, so applicants should not treat an old portal or an unofficial checklist as current instructions.

An announcement in Fall 2026 may provide a new application window, but RSF has not stated its length. A ready CV, a clear account of the risks connected to your journalism, and a practical plan for sharing digital-security knowledge will make it easier to respond when the official instructions appear.

Preparing Now, Before the Call Reopens

The next form has not been published, so do not assume that the 2026 questions or document requirements will be repeated word for word. Preparation can still be specific to the program and its published purpose: explain the risks connected to your journalism, describe the digital-security problems you face, and show how training would improve safety for you, your colleagues, and your sources.

Practical preparation that will not be wasted:

1. Write the threat narrative. Be concrete about what has happened to you — surveillance, device seizure, account compromise, coordinated harassment, legal pressure — without exposing sources or ongoing work. Vague statements about “wanting to improve security” read as filler.
2. Name the digital threats specifically. Phishing aimed at your newsroom, SIM-swap attempts, spyware suspicion on your phone, a media website knocked offline, doxxing of your family: specificity is what separates applications.
3. Sketch the workshop you will run afterwards. The post-fellowship training is a requirement. Decide now who your audience would be, how many people, in what language, and through which outlet or network.
4. Update your journalism CV. Emphasize the three-year experience threshold, your beat, and reporting that carries risk.
5. Check your passport and residence documents. RSF assists with visas but cannot guarantee a positive or timely outcome, and you must be able to show you can return at the end of the visa period. If you live in a third country, gather proof of long-term residence status.
6. Have your English proofread. The program runs entirely in English, and comprehension matters for participation, not just for the form.
7. Talk to your editor early. You will need real time off. Agreement from your newsroom is easier to secure in advance than in a two-week scramble.
8. Note that you cannot participate twice. If you have already held an RSF fellowship, you are not eligible. If you applied before and were not selected, RSF encourages you to apply again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the fellowship open right now? No. The 2026 call closed on 15 January 2026, and RSF has said new opportunities will be announced in Fall 2026.

What about the old application form I found? The LimeSurvey form at forms.projectresources.org is expired and no longer accepts submissions. Use RSF’s call for applications page instead.

Has the next deadline been published? No. RSF has committed only to announcing new fellowship opportunities in the Fall of 2026.

Do I need to pay to apply? There is no application fee, and RSF covers participation costs — visa, travel, housing, stipend, insurance — for selected fellows.

Are citizen journalists and freelancers eligible? Yes. RSF accepts full-time staff journalists, freelancers and citizen journalists across any medium, provided you have at least three years of professional experience and work in independent media.

Can I keep filing stories while in Berlin? No. RSF expects about 20 to 25 hours per week of program participation and states the fellowship is not a work residency for day-to-day journalistic commitments.

Can my family come with me? No. The official invitation does not include family members, costs are not covered, and RSF cannot assist with their visas.

Will I get feedback if I am not selected? No. RSF says the volume of applications makes individual feedback impossible.

Who do I contact with questions? RSF lists fellowships[at]reporter-ohne-grenzen.de and rsf-fellowships-germany[at]proton.me.

How to Apply

There is no open application at the moment. When the next call opens, RSF will publish it on the same page it uses for every cycle.

1. Watch the official call page for the reopening announcement: https://www.reporter-ohne-grenzen.de/fellowship-programs/call-for-applications. RSF says this page and its social media channels are where new opportunities will be announced, with an announcement expected in Fall 2026.
2. Read the program overview for the training curriculum, eligibility conditions and FAQ: https://www.reporter-ohne-grenzen.de/fellowship-programs/berlin-fellowship-program.
3. Draft a concise account of the threats connected to your journalism, the digital-security problems you face, and the difference training would make for you, your colleagues and your sources. Treat this as preparation, not as a confirmed list of next-cycle questions.
4. Confirm you meet the conditions — three years of professional experience, independent media, fluent English, and a demonstrable ability to return to your country of residence at the end of the fellowship.
5. Submit through the official portal published with the new call, well before the stated closing time. Ignore any older third-party form.

If your circumstances do not fit this program, review RSF’s other support routes and the taz Panter Foundation’s separately handled “Rest & Resilience” fellowship rather than submitting through an expired RSF form.