Grants for journalistic work about Ukraine

Who can apply?

The program is open to journalists from the project’s participating countries: Bulgaria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain, and Ukraine. Applicants are expected to form teams of two to four members, and submit one application per team for a single project.  It is necessary for the team to include at least one journalist from the EU and one journalist from Ukraine. This condition is essential for fostering cross-border collaboration.

What is the amount?

The maximum grant amount that can be requested by an applicant's team is €5,000. The stories should be produced within 3 months and published by at least one media outlet based in an EU country by November 2024 latest.

What projects are supported?

The Europe-Ukraine Desk grants offer support for journalistic projects spanning various genres and formats: podcasts, features, documentaries, printed or online stories, books, comic strips, photos, and cross-media productions. Our programme focuses specifically on in-depth stories and high-impact reporting, as well as sustainable and scalable projects. Funding cannot be granted to long-term initiatives that run beyond end of 2024. It is important that all contributors involved in the final publication are appropriately credited.

When is the deadline?

Proposals are reviewed on a monthly basis (see the next deadline specified below), with applicants receiving notifications within 3-4 weeks after the deadline.

The Europe-Ukraine Desk is no longer accepting new applications for 2024.

What are the evaluation criteria?

• Relevance of the topic;
• Added value compared to mainstream coverage (stories that lack attention);
• Clarity of the project;
• Potential outreach and impact;
• Budget rationality;
• Creating new network opportunities.

Which costs might be covered by the grant?

• Working time for freelancers;
• Working time for staff journalists if they do not work on the project as part of their employment and will not publish it in their own media;
• Production and associated expenses: travel, accommodation, translation, fixers, software licenses, access to pay data-bases, equipment rental etc.

The grant does not cover the rent of office space, office supplies, or equipment purchases. Please be aware that only budget lines that are foreseeable and clearly explained will be considered for coverage. Avoid including vague entries such as “unforeseeable expenses” or “miscellaneous” in the budget.

What is the application and selection process?

• One applicant per team completes the form providing all the information and supporting documents;
• The jury reviews the applications within 2 weeks after the dealine and project management team contacts applicants for details if needed;
• The applicant is informed of the decision within 3-4 weeks after the submission deadline.

Together with the application form, an applicant is supposed to describe the project and the production plan and upload:

• A justified budget (please download the table, fill it out and upload to the form);
• The CVs of all team members;
• Preferably a letter of commitment from a media outlet agreeing to publish the story. 
  

While working on the budget, please break down all foreseeable expenses and provide as many financial details as possible. A budget table that is too general or superficial may have a negative impact on the assessment of your application.

A letter of commitment from a media outlet is not mandatory but it strengthens the application assessment. If included, the letter should be written on the media company's letterhead, containing contact information and the signature of the individual responsible. The letter should state that the news outlet intends to publish the story, provided it meets the outlet's expectations and standards. However, the agreement does not guarantee an absolute and irrevocable commitment to publish in case the material fails to meet the quality standards.

After approval:

• For substantial amounts, the grant will be issued in two installments. The first half of the payment will be provided once the application is approved, and the second half will be paid upon the publication of the project.
• After being nominated for the grant,  selected applicants will proceed to sign a grant agreement with n-ost to formalise the terms and conditions.
• Upon project completion, the applicant is required to submit a one-page report along with a copy of the created content.

If you need help finding team members or media outlets for collaboration, or have any questions on cost coverage, please contact us at eud@n-ost.org. It is advisable to reach out before submitting an application.

All information shared in the application will remain confidential to the jury and project team. The Europe-Ukraine Desk will not disclose any information to external individuals or entities and will solely use the data for grant decision-making purposes.