The work we want to continue and why we need your support now

We are writing to you today because the funding landscape around us is changing. These changes affect the scope and depth of the work we can deliver. This moment requires transparency about what has become unsustainable and how we can continue to support the people who benefit from our programmes.

Journalism support organisations in Europe are facing a tightening funding environment at the same time that threats to democracy, the climate crisis and misinformation continue to grow. The gap between what journalism needs and what is currently supported is widening.

What we built together

Since 1992, we have been committed to strengthening independent journalism. Over the past years, our programmes have taken many forms. We have supported newsroom innovation, helped emerging reporters find their first foothold in the industry, and invested in independent media through grants, fellowships and training. Combined, these efforts have reached tens of thousands of journalists working across Europe and beyond.

Two recent programmes show the scale and the public value of this work.

 The Climate Journalism Award 

Across two editions, the Award surfaced some of the most impressive climate reporting from across Europe. It shortlisted a wide range of projects and recognised outstanding work across categories that included data reporting, investigations and solutions-focused storytelling. It also highlighted early-career reporters who are already shaping public understanding of the climate emergency.

The Student Fellowship 

For five years, the Fellowship was a cornerstone of our talent development work. We placed promising students and early career journalists in leading newsrooms across Europe. Annually, there were more than 2,000 applicants for roughly 30 placements. For those participating, the Fellowship was often life-changing and around 30% of Fellows secured jobs in journalism after completing it.

Even today, we receive daily messages from young aspiring journalists asking if the programme will return. It is deeply missed by newsrooms and applicants alike.

What has changed

The conditions that made these successes possible have changed. And the truth is: without renewed support, we can no longer offer the opportunities that journalists tell us they depend on. Some large funding programmes across Europe have been paused or restructured, and several funders have shifted their priorities. Others have moved away from areas that we have championed for years. These shifts have made it impossible to continue some of our most valued programmes.

Our work has always depended on time-limited, project-based funding. Such partnerships make significant impact possible, but they rarely provide long-term stability. When funder priorities shift, support organisations like the EJC are left with work that no longer has a stable financial foundation.

What we lose when programmes end

Ending programmes is not only an operational issue. It affects journalists, students, editors and communities. 

• Fewer opportunities for early-career journalists mean fewer new voices entering the profession. 
• Less reporting on topics such as climate means fewer stories that explain the science and surface practical solutions.  
• Fewer investigative grants mean fewer projects that hold power to account.

When a programme ends, it isn’t a budget line that disappears:  it’s a young reporter who no longer gets their first newsroom opportunity, a local editor who loses support to cover climate risks, or a community that goes unseen. These losses are felt across the ecosystem because journalism is a public good. When support shrinks, the whole system shrinks with it. 

How you can help

If you believe in strong and independent journalism, we ask you to support our work. Donations of any size will help us invest in talent, strengthen newsrooms, enable rigorous investigative reporting, and create opportunities in Europe that would otherwise disappear. We cannot continue this work without new supporters. Your support today determines what we can rebuild tomorrow.

Looking ahead

The challenges we face today are real, but they do not diminish our commitment to journalists or the importance of their work. We will continue to adapt, to find new partnerships and to explore models that keep journalism resilient. We are grateful to everyone who has been part of this journey so far, and we are asking you to support us as we shape the next chapter.

The EJC team