TOPIC 1 - “Journalism Partnerships - Collaborations” 

Priorities

Projects must focus on ways to develop collaborative transformation, from a business, technological and/or production point of view.

Projects can aim to develop, inter alia, better revenue and monetisation models, new approaches to audience development, community-building and marketing, development of common professional/technical standards, new types of newsrooms, syndication networks or other models to exchange content/data between news media across the EU, or provide assistance to small media organisations. They can aim to increase efficiency and the quality of reporting through innovative journalistic collaborations. Projects can test innovative production methods and formats, or contribute to high-quality media production standards in other collaborative ways. Projects can aim to increase exchanges of best practices among journalists and optimise workflows for those journalism genres requiring more time and resources.

Proposals may address one or more of the priorities outlined above, if relevant and based on the needs analysis of the chosen (sub)sector. The proposal should provide this needs analysis and explain how the proposed activities will work towards addressing the identified challenges

Activities

Activities can include events, online trainings and workshops for media professionals, exchange programmes, mentoring schemes, mapping of best practices, sector-wide development of technical standards, development of guidelines and editorial standards, production of practical guidebooks, development and testing of platforms and technical solutions to exchange ideas and best practices, promotional activities, or other activities that aim to uphold the viability of the sector. Sharing of best practices between operators in media markets/countries/regions with different and diverse characteristics (in terms of languages, production volumes, sizes, digitalisation levels etc.) is encouraged, to promote mutual learning. Applicants are encouraged to consider activities supporting media sectors lacking the means of adapting to the digital environment.

Financial support to third parties will be accepted in projects which foresee exchange programmes for journalists and other media professionals, support to attend trainings or events, support to journalists and media outlets for collaborative journalistic projects, support for legal advice, support for the acquisition, development or maintenance of technical tools for collaborative journalism, support for events in these fields and/or prizes for collaboration or innovation. In such cases, applicants must define the terms under which this financial support to third parties would take place and ensure a fair and transparent process.

In all cases, the choice of activities should be based on their potential to instil systemic change in the chosen subsector.

Projects must include concrete deliverables and set clear, objectively verifiable and quantifiable performance indicators for the mid-term and the end of the project. The estimated impact must be more precise than the sum of available distribution channels, and should be substantiated by a detailed outreach plan as well as proof of interest from the target groups.

All projects need to respect widely accepted professional media standards. The chosen standards and the relevant mechanisms to ensure them should be indicated in the proposal and confirmed with a signed Declaration on Standards & Independence (Annexed to the Application form). Partnerships involving editorial work must operate with full editorial independence.

All Partnerships should consider the ecological footprint of the activities they propose, and where relevant, describe the strategies to ensure a more sustainable and environmentally-respectful media sectors.
 

TOPIC 2 - “Journalism Partnerships - Pluralism”

Priorities

Proposals must put in place funding schemes for news media entities and independent journalism and dedicate at least 60% of the total amount of the grant to it. Accompanying activities may be proposed. Applicant organisations should be in a position to set up funding schemes (support to third parties) targeting news media outlets, organisations and, if needed, professionals, such as local and regional media, community media, investigative journalism and organisations delivering public interest news, and in ways that enhance pluralistic media landscapes across the European Union. Non-profit and civil society organisations are particularly encouraged to apply.

The proposed activities must focus on news media sectors of special relevance to democracy and civic participation, i.e. the role they play in enhancing democracy, shaping the public debate and bringing benefits to their audiences and communities, instead of focusing just on profit. For the purpose of this call, these sectors are in particular:

• Local and regional media
• Independent and investigative journalism
• Organisations delivering public interest news/public service journalism (such as community, legal and civic journalism and media, news increasing transparency about the media)

Activities

Applicants must present, develop and implement a funding scheme for cascading grants (i.e. regranting / support to third parties) for independent media and organisations primarily active in one or more of these sectors. They will cover as many geographical areas and news media organisations as possible.

They shall focus on activities that contribute to sustaining, improving or transforming the work of the targeted parties. Activities can among others consist of:

• Innovations in editorial production (e.g. formats, content), coverage and revenue models
• The improvement of distribution and dissemination of news
• The development and engagement of audiences and community-building strategies
• The development of technical tools applying to the above topics
• Training on the above topics

Putting in place a funding scheme is compulsory. The funding should be accompanied by active communication towards a maximum of potential stakeholders across the geographical areas covered by the proposal. It is possible to complement the funding scheme with accompanying activities, if relevant and based on a needs analysis of the chosen subsector/s. Such accompanying activities may include, e.g., the development of deontological and governance standards, budgetary readiness, development of criteria and indicators framing their support, repositories of knowledge, legal advice or trainings. The proposal must explain how the proposed activities will work towards addressing the identified challenges.

Proposals should focus on the European Union, and specifically areas with low provision of the specific news described above or in media markets where media pluralism is strained. The needs of smaller newsrooms may also be addressed.

Activities must include concrete deliverables and set clear, objectively verifiable and quantifiable performance indicators for the mid-term and the end of the project. The estimated impact must be more precise than the sum of available distribution channels, and should be substantiated by a detailed outreach plan as well as proof of interest from the target groups.

All projects need to respect widely accepted professional media standards. The chosen standards and the relevant mechanism to ensure them should be indicated in the proposal and confirmed with a signed Declaration on Standards & Independence (Annexed to the Application form). In cases of support given to editorial work, third parties need to operate with full editorial independence.

All Partnerships should consider the ecological footprint of the activities they propose, and where relevant, describe the strategies to ensure a more sustainable and environmentally-respectful media sectors.

Project duration: 24 months (extensions are possible, if duly justified and through an amendment).

The available call budget is 13.800.000,00 €.

• For topic 1: 6.900.000,00 €
• for Topic 2: 6.900.000,00 €

Project budget (maximum grant amount):

• for Topic 1: EUR 2.000.000,00 € per project;
• for Topic 2: EUR 2.500.000,00 € per project.

The costs will be reimbursed at the funding rate fixed in the Grant Agreement:

• for Topic 1: 80%;
• for Topic 2: 90%.