€900,000 of grants for media organisations to report on global development challenges

Please note: We know that this is a busy time for our community. That’s why we have decided to extend the deadline until Friday 3 April to give potential applicants more time.

Media organisations can now apply for the latest round of the European Development Journalism Grants programme. Eight grants worth up to €120,000 each will be awarded to media outlets in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom to report on global development topics during the course of one year.

About the programme

Over the past five years, this funding programme has supported 11 media organisations across France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK to report on global challenges that affect all of us. The awarded projects have demonstrated distinctive storytelling around critical issues, informed and engaged audiences, and resonated both with readers and the communities they reported on.

“To date, with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the European Journalism Centre has committed over €5.5m to supporting the development journalism ecosystem. Together, we’ve funded 192 projects and supported 347 grantees to publish in over 200 outlets worldwide. These media organisations have set a distinctive agenda for development and global health coverage. The European Development Journalism Grants enable organisations like them to continue that work by collaborating with freelance journalists, local reporters, and other newsrooms on topics of global importance,” says Adam Thomas, director, European Journalism Centre.

What you need to know to apply

• Who can apply? The applicant is an opinion-forming news outlet or broader journalism organisation with a track record of accurate, fair, and responsible quality reporting. Media from France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK can apply.
• What’s the topic? The project should address one or more of the first six Sustainable Development Goals.
• Which are the countries of focus? The project focuses on one or more of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) as defined by the United Nations and/or their development relations with key European donor countries.
• What is the amount awarded? The grant is up to €120,000 per media organisation; we expect to award up to eight grants in this round.
• How can you apply? Entries need to be submitted online through this application form.
• What are the application deadlines? The first deadline for applications is Friday 3 April. Grant decisions will be made in a two-phased application process:

1. In phase one, we will shortlist proposals according to the eligibility criteria. Deadline for submission is Friday 3 April.
2. In phase two, we will invite selected candidates to submit a more elaborate proposal responding to the selection criteria. Deadline for submission is Friday 8 May (22:00 CEST).

The call for proposals can be found here.

Do you have further questions?

In case you need to consult anything specific about your application, we are happy to talk with you via Skype during one of our two “Ask-Me-Anything” sessions on any of the following dates:

• Wednesday 4 March. To book a 20-minute time slot, please send us an email to publishers@journalismgrants.org by Friday 28 February.
• Wednesday 11 March. To book a 20-minute time slot, please send us an email to publishers@journalismgrants.org by Thursday 5 March.

Note that there will be a second call for proposals in the second half of 2021!

The European Development Journalism Grants are supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Related readings

If you want to know more about the seven projects that were awarded in the last round of this grant programme, check out this blog post:
How to write stories on development reporting that people actually want to read.