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Deadline

05 Apr 2024, 17:00 (CEST)

For whom

freelance journalists and staff journalists

Amount

8500 Euro

Programme

Topics

Solutions Journalism Accelerator Freelancers Call

Accelerator

Solutions Journalism Accelerator Freelancers Call

opening soon

The 2024 Solutions Journalism Accelerator Call delivers grant funding for freelancers and facilitates research opportunities to support solutions-focused development journalism

Our objective is to support and empower 12 journalists or small teams of journalists to create and disseminate impactful stories, through a Solutions Journalism approach. They will provide new insights, shed light on underreported topics, focus on the Global South and explore global development issues. 

We understand the significant role that journalism plays in informing people about big societal topics and challenges and we have recognised that solutions-focused and community-focused approaches to such journalism are not only beneficial for journalists and media organisations but also for more impactful reporting outcomes.  

Who can apply

Applicants must be freelance or staff journalists or small teams of journalists with experience in reporting on development topics. There is no citizenship or residency restriction, but applicants must have a track record of publication in respected media outlets in France, Germany, or the UK

  • The Call opens on Monday 11 March 2024 and closes on Friday 5 April 2024 (17:00 CEST).
  • The reporting period for publishing stories is from 1 May to 31 August 2024.

Projects must be solutions-focused and address one or more of the first six Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), respectively: No poverty, Zero hunger, Good health and well-being, Quality education, Gender equality, and Clean water and sanitation. The projects/stories must be published in opinion-forming media organisations in France, Germany, or the UK. The projects selected, up to 12, can receive a grant of up to €8,500

The Call for Applications documentation, which includes the full eligibility criteria, conditions of the grant and selection criteria can be found here. The application questions document can be used to prepare your application. Please also check the FAQs

Do you have further questions?

If you have questions that are not answered in the Call for Applications document or FAQs, please email solutionsjournalism@ejc.net 

You can also join the AMA (‘Ask Me Anything’) session on 21 March via Zoom at 11:00 CET at this link.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Frequently asked questions

What type of organisation do I need to publish my story in?

Your story needs to be published in an opinion-forming media organisation, which is a news or broader journalism organisation with a track record of accurate, in-depth, fair and responsible reporting, publishing content online, in newspapers, magazines, broadcast and/or radio, which: serve audiences at a metropolitan, national or international level, engage large audiences and/or decision-makers, sustain investigative and/or sector-specific reporting.


Which country can my story be published in?

Your story must be published in an opinion-forming media organisation that is based in and/or has significant reach to audiences in one or more of the target countries: France, Germany and the UK.


Can I publish my story in other countries or types of media organisations?

For your project to be awarded funding, your story must be published in a primary eligible outlet (as described in the answers to questions 1 and 2 above). In addition, you can choose to publish your story in other types of media organisations and in other countries, which will be deemed as secondary outlets.


In the selection criteria it says that my story should be solutions focused. What do you mean?

Solutions journalism is rigorous and evidence-based reporting that primarily focuses on responses to societal problems.

For the purpose of this Call, we define solutions journalism as a practice that investigates and explains, in a critical and clear-eyed way, how people try to solve widely shared problems.

Coverage about the topic and other themes in your story should not merely investigate/ call out what the problems are, but should analyse what is or could be done right and critically examine remedial actions. For inspiration, resources such as our Solutions Journalism: an introduction for journalists and newsrooms guide and the Solutions Journalism Network’s Solutions Story Tracker might be useful.

What are underserved populations?

Underserved population refers to populations that face barriers and challenges in accessing and using resources, due to geographic location, religion, sexual orientation, gendered-identity, racial, and ethnic populations. Underserved populations usually encounter unique challenges (such as language and cultural barriers, physical and/or cognitive ability, alienage status, or age).


What is the Global South?

The term Global South generally refers to countries classified by the World Bank as low or middle-income, often politically or culturally marginalised, with large inequalities in living standards, life expectancy, and access to resources (LMICs).

More questions? Get in touch

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