Please first take a look at the programme's grant details. Still have questions? Check out the FAQ page:
Obviously, you need a good idea for an investigation, a local cross-border team of at least two journalists or media outlets, and at least two letters of intent from professional European news outlets (from which at least one based in the EU) who are willing to publish the result of your investigation.
For more information, click on the grant details.
No. The result of your journalistic investigation can be published by a professional media outlet in any language.
However, it is required to submit your full project application in English. English is the common language of our international jury, and all jury members need to be able to assess all applications on the same basis.
No. You would need to collaborate with at least one team member from a different country.
Preferably European countries. At least 80% of the requested budget should go to local journalists/media from EU countries.
Yes, check out our tip page: How to find a teammate.
One team member can start an application through the online application form (under construction). S/he can then invite multiple people to collaborate with on the draft application. The online application-in-progress is easy to navigate and can be saved multiple times before final submission.
A team can consist of two types of applicants:
If a grant is awarded to the project, the grant money will be allocated to the different applicants (i.e. the freelance journalists and/or news outlets) according to the submitted budget.
No. Media companies may also apply.
The focus of your investigation can be about a variety of issues, including local politics, businesses, environment, societal changes, etc. that may also apply to other local European cities. We welcome different ideas as long as the ideas are borne out of local viewpoints. The most important part of this programme is the opportunity to collaborate between two (or more) journalists from different parts of Europe where the main aspect of their story can intertwine between their respected local cities. Only applicants who are legally residing in eligible countries are permitted to receive funding.
You can find an overview of the supported stories here.
A grant can cover two types of costs:
1. Working time of the journalists to conduct their investigation (please note: working time will need to be substantiated with a timesheet)
2. Expenses:
Applications must include a budget calculation according to the budget template (under construction).
It is perfectly understandable to ask. We get this question a lot...
However, there is no clear answer. The amounts vary per project and depend on the duration of the investigation, the number of team members, and the necessary expenses.
You may use this budget template (under construction) for your reference.
We want to stress that you should initially plan a convincing project proposal, assess the necessary tools and resources you will need to conduct your investigation, and only then draft a realistic budget to fund your project. Jury members will consider your project proposal if you submit a good quality and realistic budget plan. This is one of the criteria assessments the jury will look for in awarding you grant money. Therefore, it is NOT a good idea to inflate your budget.
In practice, grants could vary from e.g. €2,000 for smaller investigations to €10,000 or even more for very large investigations that involve newsrooms in many countries, require a lot of research and expenses, data access, legal screening, etc., and yield a large series of publications.
Applicants are usually informed about the jury decision around 40 days after the application deadline.
In 2024, Journalismfund Europe's Local Cross-Border Grant Programme is funded by the European Union and 2 foundations:
All formal agreements between Journalismfund Europe and its donors stipulate independence and no editorial interference. (Representatives from) donors can never be part of the juries that award the grants. Journalismfund Europe does not take money from donors that don’t agree with these terms.
We adopted an Ethical Funding Policy to ensure that Journalismfund Europe properly manages its priorities and projects with appropriate independence from its funders. This Policy also aims at providing transparency regarding the identity of Journalismfund Europe’s sources of funding to avoid any suspicion of inappropriate influence or conflicts of interest concerning Journalismfund Europe’s activities.
Journalismfund Europe’s financial records are reviewed annually by an independent auditor. You can find all funding information and financial documents here.
You are welcome to publish parts of your investigation or in its entirety on your own platform or blog. For your application, however, we request two letters of intent for publication from professional news outlets in two different countries and independent from your own platform.
Journalismfund Europe strives for the highest standards for data protection and security. Read about our privacy and data protection measures here.
Journalismfund Europe vzw is a Belgium based independent non‐profit organisation established with the purpose of promoting independent investigative journalism.
Check the general FAQ about our organisation.
Register to speak with our project coordinator. Click here to view the calendar: TBD
Do you still have questions about this grant programme or the application procedure? Do you want pre-application advice to discuss your project idea? Don't hesitate to contact us!