Investigative journalism in Europe supported with up to €1.23 million in grants

The Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU) fund has opened two calls for cross-border investigative journalism projects in the European Union and EU candidate countries.

The 2022/23 edition of the IJ4EU fund will provide €1.23 million in direct grants to support investigative journalism on transnational subjects. Approximately €900,000 will be distributed through the Investigation Support Scheme and €330,000 through the Freelancer Support Scheme.

Managed by the European Journalism Centre, the International Press Institute and the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, the fund aims to foster cross-border collaboration and the resilience of investigative journalists, thus safeguarding media freedom and pluralism.

Two grant schemes

The Investigation Support Scheme will provide grants of between €5,000 and €50,000 to allow cross-border teams of any type to carry out investigations of public interest. The scheme will provide altogether €900,000 in grants in 2022/23. It is managed by the International Press Institute (IPI).

The Freelancer Support Scheme will provide grants of up to €20,000 to cross-border investigative teams, whose members operate predominantly outside of newsroom structures. It will also provide an extra layer of support through training, mentoring and networking opportunities.

This is the second edition of the Freelancer Support Scheme, which was implemented within IJ4EU for the first time in 2021/22 and supported 15 cross-border collaborative investigations. In 2022/23 the scheme will provide altogether around €330,000 in grants. It is managed by the European Journalism Centre (EJC).

The deadline for applications for both Investigation Support Scheme and the Freelancer Support Scheme is 13 October, 23:59 CEST. Both schemes will have a second call in January 2023.

General eligibility criteria

Both schemes have the same geographical eligibility criteria. Applications must be submitted by teams with members based in at least two EU member states or at least one EU member state and one EU candidate country.

EU candidate countries are Albania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine.

Projects must focus on topics of cross-border relevance. Investigations on all topics will be considered.

Both schemes offer editorial assistance, legal support and the chance to take part in specialist conferences.

Teams working in all types of media — including print, broadcast, online media, documentary filmmaking and multi-platform story-telling — will be considered. Projects must aim to be published by media outlets in at least two countries.

IJ4EU grants may be used to cover nearly any type of cost necessary for the production of journalistic content. This includes salary and human resource costs for both employed journalists and freelance journalists, research costs, travel costs, translation costs, and administrative costs.

Grants under both schemes are awarded by independent juries made up of distinguished senior editors, investigative journalists and journalism experts. Read more about the selection process and criteria.

To date, IJ4EU has disbursed more than €2.5 million in grants to cross-border projects, allowing hundreds of journalists to conduct ambitious investigations on topics of interest to audiences across Europe and beyond. You can explore the previously funded investigations here.

Learn more about the eligibility criteria here.

About IJ4EU

IJ4EU (Investigative Journalism for Europe) is a fund to support cross-border investigative journalism. We provide grants to teams of journalists in Europe investigating topics of public interest.

The IJ4EU fund is managed by a consortium of three organisations: the International Press Institute (IPI), the European Journalism Centre (EJC), and the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF).

IPI leads the consortium and manages the Investigative Support Scheme. EJC manages the Freelancer Support Scheme. ECPMF runs a prize for cross-border investigative journalism and IJ4EU’s annual UNCOVERED conference. ECPMF also runs a legal contingency fund for grantees.

The IJ4EU programme is co-funded as a Preparatory Action by the European Commission (DG Connect). It receives additional funding from Open Society Foundations, Fritt Ord, Fondation Nicolas Puech and the City of Leipzig. The programme maintains complete independence from donors in the selection of projects and strictly guarantees the editorial independence of all grantees.

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