Microgrants for Small Newsrooms - FAQ
Can any organisation or company apply?
Small- and medium-sized, local, and independent media outlets (legal entities) in EU member states and participating countries in the Creative Europe Programme can apply.
How much money can we ask?
The maximum amount per newsroom is €5,000. In addition, each grantee will be assigned an expert mentor to guide them through piloting new products and mentoring.
Which costs are eligible?
Eligible costs for funding are,
Personnel, operating costs and depreciation on investments that meet the following cumulative conditions:
- directly attributable to the project
- arise during the project period and after the signing of the grant agreement with Journalismfund Europe
- necessary for carrying out the project
- effectively incurred by the grant beneficiary, identified and verifiable, in particular recorded in the grantee's accounts in accordance with the accounting standards applicable in the country where the beneficiary is established and with the grantee's usual cost accounting practices
- not funded by other donors or support programmes
- they must be reasonable, justified and must comply with the principle of sound financial management
- they must comply with the applicable national law on taxes, labour and social security
The following costs are not eligible:
- personnel and operating costs not directly attributable to the project
- investment goods (such as IT equipment, mobile phones, etc.)
- internal rental costs (rental to oneself - as owner - of premises or other infrastructure)
- overhead costs and office costs
- meal costs, food and beverages, per diems
- in-kind contributions by third parties
- interests, debt service charges, currency exchange losses
- recoverable VAT
What is the maximum duration of the project?
The maximum term of the project may not exceed 2 months.
What is design-learning?
Design learning is a human-centered, iterative, collaborative approach to problem solving and innovation. Design thinking helps you step into the shoes of your audience, redefine the problem, and come up with innovative solutions, experiment and refine. It fosters creativity, encourages quick prototyping, allowing you to test ideas without huge investments of time or money and it is versatile -can be applied to crafting content, new format, products, or business models that deeply resonate.
Watch the Introductory Webinar on the Design Learning Track.
Follow our project partner Transitions to attend one of the trainings on Design Learning organized by our project partner Transitions. The next training is in Sarajevo on 24-24 October. To apply click here.
Does the service that our project aims to develop need to be in English?
No, not necessarily. 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.
Additionally, each grantee is required to deliver a report in English at the end of the project documenting their learnings and findings.
When is it possible to apply?
The first deadline is on 17 December 2024 13:00 CET and the second deadline is on 3 April 2025 13:00 CET.
When will we know the result of our grant application?
Applicants are usually informed about the jury decision around 40 days after the application deadline.
Where does the money come from? And how can Journalismfund Europe safeguard mine and its own independence?
The Microgrants Programme falls under Journalismfund Europe's Plupro Project which is funded by 2 foundations and the European Commission:
- The European Commission
- Limelight Foundation
- Veronica Stichting
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.
Is the information I submit to Journalismfund Europe about myself, my organisation, and my work secure?
Journalismfund Europe strives for the highest standards for data protection and security. Read about our privacy and data protection measures here.
What is Journalismfund Europe actually?
Journalismfund Europe vzw is a Belgium based independent non‐profit intermediairy established by citizens with the purpose of promoting independent investigative journalism.
Check the general FAQ about our organisation.
Still have more questions? Talk to our project coordinator
Register to speak with our project coordinator. Click here to book a pre-application meeting.
More information
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!
