Innovation in Development Reporting

The Innovation in Development Reporting Grant Programme (IDR) is a media funding project operated by the European Journalism Centre. The grant programme aims to advance innovative reporting approaches, thus enabling a better coverage of international development issues. The average grant given is around €20,000 and the programme is open to both freelancers and newsrooms.

Topic

In this call for applications we are looking for proposals on the topic of opportunities for women today.

We are looking to fund innovative projects about opportunities for (preferably young) women in developing countries.

For example, we are looking for stories on women’s:

• lifelong learning;
• health conditions, sexuality or fertility;
• job opportunities or entrepreneurship;
• new roles in their communities.

Please note: this is a non-exhaustive list.

The topics must provide new angles or surprising approaches - we are looking for original, under-reported, critical and nuanced reporting that counters stereotypes.

We encourage applicants to also interrogate the quality of opportunities on offer for women and to explore the consequences of changing opportunities.

Country Focus

To be eligible, your story must report on one or more of the world’s developing countries, ideally Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and/or the key European donor countries’ development relations with these countries.

Please note that countries excluded from reporting are: the former Yugoslav Republic, former Soviet Union countries, China and countries covered by a US financial embargo (Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria).

Who is eligible?

Both freelance journalists and employed newsroom staff may apply. There is no citizenship, nationality or residence/location restriction on the applicants as long as the final results are published in relevant media organisations* with significant reach to audiences in one or more of the following European countries:

• France
• Germany
• the Netherlands
• Sweden
• United Kingdom

The funded stories can be published in any of the official languages of the five admissible countries.

Only media outlets from the eligible countries can be considered as primary outlets. Secondary outlets may cater to any other European country, while publications outside Europe are most welcome for supplemental dissemination.

Freelance journalists are expected to pitch their stories to the media organisations themselves, and are encouraged to charge freelance fees where appropriate. The Journalism Grants community is a great place to get advice on which partners to target. We also encourage partnerships with media organisations who have not previously published IDR projects and journalists who are not specialists in development issues.

Newsrooms and their employed journalists are particularly encouraged to apply, however applications from state-owned or directly government-controlled entities are not eligible. The Guardian and Le Monde Afrique are also not eligible as primary publication partners, as they already receive direct support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Ineligible media outlets cannot be considered as primary publication partners, but can be included as part of an application as secondary publication partners alongside other eligible outlets.

We encourage the applicants to seek engagement and collaboration with local reporters on the ground.

* A relevant media organisation is considered to be one of the following: a broadcaster with at least broad regional reach; a mainstream print magazine or newspaper; a print trade publication or specialist magazine of particular influence as a multiplier; a website of significant reach and audience; an electronic format such as a mobile application; or a contribution to an existing app – with demonstrable potential to reach a large audience.

Selection criteria

Our grants judge applications based on three criteria

1. Editorial focus and quality
2. Impact and reach
3. Innovation