Grant details European Cross-border Grants

Eligibility criteria

Cross-border teams of at least two journalists can submit an investigation proposal. These are projects that have great news value and depth, and at the same time are original, innovative and time-consuming, and would not be realised without financial support.
This grant programme is open to journalists living in continental Europe domiciled in at least two different countries. When relevant for the story, team members from outside Europe can be accepted, too.
The applicants must be professional journalists (written or audio-visual press). Personal references and/or references to earlier work are essential in that respect. Students are not eligible.
Only natural persons can apply for a grant.
The project must be published by at least two professional news outlets in at least two different countries. Letters of intent for publication from at least two professional news outlets are required.
Investigative journalism published by professional media in any form is eligible, no matter whether print, online, broadcast or cross-media. All journalistic end products qualify for a grant: newspaper and magazine articles, radio and television documentaries and series, photo-reportages and books, podcasts and journalistic non-fiction books.
Journalists who were previously allocated a grant by Journalismfund Europe can reapply. The jury will include the result of previous grants in their evaluation of the new application.
All relevant topics are eligible. However, if your investigation proposal concerns the environment, please turn to our Investigation Grants for Environmental Journalism.

Which costs

A grant can cover two types of research costs:

Expenses (both for freelance journalists and for employed staff journalists).
These can include travel, visa, accommodation, translation, fixers, access to pay-databases, FOI requests, legal screening, etc.
Following expenses are NOT eligible for a grant: investments goods (such as IT equipment, mobile phones, …), office costs, production costs, food and beverage, per diems.
By collaborating with journalists on the ground you can reduce your carbon footprint. Why travel when you can collaborate with a journalist from another country who has the know-how and knowledge?
Research time (only for freelance journalists).

The grant can only cover costs for research, not for production.

Applications need to include a budget calculation according to the budget template.

Mentors

Successful applicants who need support in a specific aspect of the investigation can request a mentor. The mentor is assigned by Journalismfund Europe from its pool of mentors (consisting of experienced investigative journalists from different continents), in consultation with the team.
Mentors are selected based on either the focus of the investigation or the need for competencies in a specific skill. They can e.g. assist with cross-border collaboration, identifying sources, research methods, storytelling, dissemination, project management, etc.
A mentor gives advice, shares knowledge and can act as a sounding board. He or she does not fully participate in the investigation. The maximum amount of mentoring days per project is five.
The mentor is paid by Journalismfund Europe. The applicants do not need to include the mentor in their budget proposal.

Deadlines and timing

There are normally 4 application rounds per year.
After the application deadline, Journalismfund Europe checks that formalities are in order and may call for more information from applicants. This usually takes one week.
After this the applications go to the jury for assessment.
Applicants are usually informed about the jury decision around 40 days after the application deadline.
Subscribe to Journalismfund Europe’s newsletter to stay tuned and receive the latest grant opportunity updates.

Jury

The applications are assessed by an independent jury of experts in investigative journalism. The jury members are chosen by Journalismfund Europe. They remain anonymous until they leave the jury.
Both Journalismfund Europe and the jury are bound to strict confidentiality – before, during and after evaluation of the proposals.
Jury members are bound to Journalismfund Europe's strict conflict of interest policy, which is designed to assure the highest standards in terms of ethical conduct and to ensure the independence and objectivity of decision making.
You can take some direct advice from previous jury members: "If you want a grant, here's what you should do".

Criteria

The jury will assess the applications based on these criteria:

added value compared to mainstream coverage
relevance in society
newsworthiness
quality and originality of research methods and presentation/storytelling
feasibility of the investigation, timeline and budget
team structure and experience of the applicants
work effort requirement
cross-border aspect
pooling research, capacity and knowledge
watchdog of EU institutions, policies and money

Finally, the jury will also take into consideration the variety within the global selection of granted projects. This means diversity in terms of:

region (both regarding stories and team members)
topics
methods and approaches
publication forms
team composition

Grant conditions

The grantees and all other persons involved in the project have to endorse the principles of the Global Charter of Ethics for Journalists as well as the national codes of ethics that are in force.
Every grantee signs an Agreement with Journalismfund Europe that states the mutual arrangements and conditions.
Grants are paid in two installments: the first (2/3) upon signature of the Agreement, the second (1/3) after publication of the project and submission of the supporting documents for the expenses.
Grants are paid in euro. They are only paid out on the bank accounts of the grantees, not via other money transfer services. Any bank charges for international payments are carried by Journalismfund Europe, except for exchange rates.
Any journalistic product that is the result of the supported project explicitly has to mention the support from Journalismfund Europe.
Applicants need to consent with Journalismfund Europes’s general grant rules.