The European Journalism Centre (EJC) in partnership with the Solutions Journalism Network (SJN) has launched the Solutions Journalism Accelerator which is supporting up to 18 European media organisations or consortiums reporting on long-term solutions-focused development journalism.

Grant funding

• Each of the funded media organisations/ consortiums will be awarded up to 130.000,00 € to help them deliver one comprehensive solutions-focused development journalism project comprising a 12-month reporting period (i.e a minimum of 12 in-depth, separately published, linked stories recognisable as a series).

Mentoring

• During the Accelerator, grantees will have access to mentors and coaches in order to help them effectively deliver their project objectives, develop skills, knowledge and confidence within project teams, and implement a solutions journalism approach to their stories.
• Each grantee (individual organisation or consortium) will be matched with a dedicated mentor for up to 12 months, with the mentor providing monthly hands-on expertise, resources, and advice to key representatives of the project team. Mentors will be matched with grantees based on the needs of the project team/ project objectives. Project representatives will meet their mentors in-person at the start of their projects with monthly mentoring taking place foremostly online.

Coaching

• Grantees will also be provided with group-based coaching on specific topics, concepts, or challenges during two, full-day, in-person boot camps (locations TBC). One boot camp will take place at the start of grantees’ projects with the second scheduled toward the end of the project.
• The Solutions Journalism Network team will also contribute their expertise to the mentoring and coaching of grantees and will provide advice on an ad-hoc basis, to ensure project teams are confident, equipped, and able to fully employ a solutions journalism approach to their published stories during the Accelerator and beyond.

This Call for Applications is providing grants of up to €130,000 with bespoke mentoring and coaching for each grantee, and is aimed at opinion-forming media organisations that are based in and/or have significant reach to audiences across France, Germany or the United Kingdom.