Two journalists selected for IRE Koch Continuum Grant

(July 7, 2025) — Investigative Reporters and Editors is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Koch Continuum Grant, a new program supporting investigative journalists pursuing public health and disability reporting.

Eli Cahan and Ainsley Martinez have been selected for their ambitious project proposals looking into systemic discrimination at child protective services agencies, and the impacts of a nationwide crackdown on power wheelchair fraud.

Cahan is an award-winning investigative journalist whose reporting focuses on the intersection of child welfare and social justice. His work has been featured in The Washington Post, Rolling Stone , ABC and NPR, among other publications. A native of New York City, Cahan was shortlisted for the Livingston Award in 2025; he has also received reporting fellowships from the McGraw Center, the National Press Foundation, and the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, among others.

Cahan is also a pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan, Stanford University, and NYU School of Medicine.

His project will focus on how child protective services agencies are systematically discriminating against tens of thousands of parents with disabilities. Under the new administration, it may get even worse as executive actions against DEI threaten parents with disabilities.

Martinez is an editor and head of data visualizations at the Long Island Herald. As a reporter with a disability, she focuses primarily on accessibility reporting. An Oklahoma City native, Martinez previously reported for Oklahoma Watch, an investigative nonprofit, and the daily Oklahoman. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Professional Media from the University of Central Oklahoma, and a professional certification in data journalism and visualizations from Columbia Journalism School’s LEDE program.  

Her project will focus on the consequences of “Operation Wheel Dealer,” a 2003 Medicare fraud controversy that prompted a nationwide crackdown on fraudulent claims for power wheelchairs. At the time, it was deemed the “fastest growing scam in Medicare.” More than two decades later, Martinez is now digging into the many legitimate claims for power wheelchairs being denied. Stricter policies have left people who rely on power wheelchairs to commute, like those in New York City, without proper coverage.

Cahan and Martinez will each receive a $10,000 grant, as well as financial assistance to present the results of their reporting at the 2026 IRE Conference in Washington, D.C.

Established in February through the generosity of a longtime IRE member, the goal of this program is to foster investigative reporting in the medical and public health fields. A veteran journalist and author specializing in medical and public health coverage, his hope is this program will serve others in the area of work he pursued for 25 years.

Applications for the next round of funding will open in early 2026.

For more information, visit the Koch Continuum Grant page.

If you’d like to contribute to an IRE program or fellowship, please visit our donation page.