Regional Call for EPIC Projects to support Independent Media in Slovenia

Cross-border content produced in the EPIC project should make use of innovative multimedia tools to drive its storytelling and reach a wide range of audiences.

Selected applicants will be reimbursed for costs incurred as part of content creation: production costs, such as travel and accommodation costs, fees of contractors (for example web developers) needed for certain aspects of production, office rent and salaries of staff involved in producing the content both based on level of effort, running costs based on the level of effort, equipment not yet available but needed to produce the content (under USD 5,000) and other reasonable expenses expressly related to the production of a specific media project/series.

Themes, Subjects and Topics 

• Stories should address key current issues relevant in at least two EPIC countries (potentially, up to all seven) in an engaging and informative manner with the potential to counter disinformation. Projects that cover themes with partnerships involving more than one other EPIC country are encouraged. Applicants are expected to identify the topics and subjects that make the overarching themes relevant to their audiences. Shared themes across project countries include, but are not limited to (i.e. applicants may propose projects on other topics they identify as shared between countries) the following:
  • everyday life, the shared human experience, how various wider issues are reflected in individual stories (housing, work, prices, everyday economics, political and economic uncertainties, etc.),
  • education,
  • the effects of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine on neighboring countries and the wider region, including (shifting) attitudes toward refugees, international support for Ukraine,
  • other conflicts and/or frozen conflicts,
  • issues affecting socially vulnerable groups, such as women and ethnic and other minorities,
  • public health,
  • food and food security,
  • climate change and environmental issues,
  • topics of interest to young people, and
  • stories on Ukraine (with or without Ukraine World assistance).

Project Categories

• Solo projects 
  • Projects in this category will be produced by a single applicant covering an issue in at least one other EPIC country. The project can cover a single story or consist of a series of stories on a single topic or common theme. Coverage should be in-depth and involve extensive on-site reporting either by the applicant’s own staff via travel to the target country or countries or by local journalists and content producers hired by the applicant for this purpose.
• Collaborative projects 
  • Collaborative projects are produced by partnerships of applicants, one from at least two EPIC countries. Collaborative projects can also consist of a single story or a series of stories on a single topic or common theme. Content can be produced in a collaborative effort by a team of journalists from all partners, or they can agree to split production, each partner producing different stories or pieces in the series.
• UkraineWorld projects                 
  • Projects in this category will be produced by a single applicant from an EPIC country other than Ukraine, covering an issue in Ukraine, with the support of UkraineWorld resources. UkraineWorld will not be producing the project but will offer support including consulting and assistance in connecting with speakers, fixers, and sources of information, logistics, assistance in sourcing videos and photos, a database of testimonies, fact-checking and context information, as well as materials for adaptation or publication.

What they are looking for?

• Applicants in EPIC countries may propose a) solo projects, as part of which they produce content in one or more other EPIC countries on their own, b) collaborative projects, as part of which applicants from at least two EPIC countries produce content within a joint project, and/or c) stories from or about Ukraine produced using UkraineWorld resources. Applicants can propose up to three projects, which can be under any or all of the three categories.

Funding Information

• Solo projects: Applicants from Slovenia can receive grants of up to USD 10,000.
• Collaborative projects: Grants for partners in Slovenia are up to USD 15,000.
• UkraineWorld projects: Applicants from Slovenia can receive grants of up to USD 10,000.

Target Audiences 

• Projects should primarily target a wide range of audiences within the focus of the proposed content project. In Slovenia, EPIC welcomes projects that address the information needs of communities with ties across borders or of groups that are particularly vulnerable to misinformation narratives, such as:
  • Young people
  • Ethnic minorities (residing outside of the capital and major metropolitan areas and/or border communities, including refugees)
  • Rural communities.

Geographic Scope 

• The EPIC project is looking to support cross-border reporting where stories are produced by applicants in Armenia, Georgia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, and Ukraine. Stories must cover issues in at least one listed country other than the applicant’s home country. Stories covering countries that are not part of the EPIC project are not eligible. Solo projects covering an issue only in an applicant’s home country will also not be supported.

Who can apply?

• In Slovenia, the EPIC project will welcome applications from:
  • national media outlets,
  • local and regional media outlets, and
  • individual journalists and content producers.

Eligibility Criteria 

• To be eligible for grants in the EPIC project, applicants must
  • Adhere to journalistic and ethical standards, fact-checking content and maintaining accuracy, objectivity, transparency, and professionalism.
  • Self-Identify as independent, but also demonstrate and maintain editorial independence from external sources (such as advertisers, sponsors, or other stakeholders).
  • media outlets should not be owned (either directly or indirectly, fully or partially) or managed by public authorities, local or national governments, political parties, or individuals holding public office or office in political organizations (or their close relatives), while independent journalists and content producers should not have affiliations with any of the above nor conflicts of interest.
  • Have actively been producing content in Slovenia for at least 1 year.

For more information, visit Internews.