Call for Applications: Expanding Production of Independent Content in Slovenia

The EPIC project aims to assist in the production and dissemination of high-quality, credible, engaging, and innovative fact based multimedia content across platforms that addresses issues of importance to communities across Slovenia.

Audience, Themes and Topics

• Internews is looking for media projects and series of stories that cover local and regional issues in Slovenia, ideally following a solutions-based approach. Media projects and stories should address issues of interest to communities and audience groups that are underserved or vulnerable to misinformation. Such groups include, but are not limited to young people, rural communities, ethnic minorities (especially those not recognized by law), and people not regularly reached by a wider range of independent media outlets practicing credible, fact-based reporting.
• Applicants are free to choose the themes and topics of the pieces produced as part of the project, but they must meet the audiences’ needs and address key current issues affecting them in a relevant and informative manner, with a focus on how they reflect on the human experience, especially where there is an important gap in information or potential for disinformation. Possible such topics and themes include, but are not limited to:
  • aftermath of the 2023 floods in Slovenia (e.g. recovery plans, distribution of funds, lingering health and erosion risks, housing displacement, economic impacts, good practices),
  • climate change and its effects on life in Slovenia,
  • green transition, including examples of good practices in public transport, use of renewable energy, air quality improvement, waste management, etc.
  • human rights (women’s rights, national or ethnic minority rights, rights of migrants, refugees or asylum seekers, rights of people with disabilities, democracy building and peace building LGBTQIA+, etc.),
  • health, including the role of private and public health care,
  • living standards, social welfare, ranging from how the system functions to individual human interest stories that speak to the wider issue,
  • youth affairs, such as housing shortages and mental health,
  • science and technology,
  • economy, e.g. real-estate market, inflation, poverty

Funding Information

• Selected applicants will receive financial support in the form of cost-reimbursable subgrants to produce relevant content. Internews anticipates awarding three (3) grants, each up to USD $20,000 per applicant
• Additional funding of up to USD $2,000 can be available for content marketing to increase the reach and impact of content produced in the project

Expectations from Applicants

• Applicants should
  • demonstrate capability and produce high-quality, credible content,
  • adapt project content to different platforms (including social networks), engage audiences, and make use of resources provided by Internews to do so,
  • work with EPIC country representatives and the EPIC team throughout project implementation to maximize content quality, distribution, and reach,
  • attend project meetings and work with mentors on an agreed-upon schedule,
  • implement activities in a timely manner, with effective communication.
• Internews has the right to translate and republish/distribute produced multimedia materials on platforms of media partners in other countries covered by the EPIC project. Should selected applicants want to republish such content themselves, translation services will be made available by Internews.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered eligible for a subaward resulting from this Request for Applications:
  • The publishing organization is legally registered in Slovenia,
  • The applicant is an independent local or regional media organization. Independent national (both for-profit and non-profit) are eligible to participate if they have permanent local correspondents,
  • The applicant is active in the Slovenian online media market as a content producer for more than 1 year,
  • The applicant regularly publishes Slovenian language media content that specifically targets a local, regional or national audience,
  • The applicant follows an independent editorial policy and has a proven dedication to professional journalistic standards and ethics,
  • The applicant has a demonstrated record of producing clear, unbiased, pluralistic content about issues of public interest,
  • The applicant publicly self-identifies as an independent organization or journalist,
  • The organization publishing this media outlet is not owned or managed by public authorities, local or national governments, political parties, by individuals holding public office or office in political organizations, or their close relatives,
  • The applicant is in good standing regarding any previous Internews grants.

For more information, visit Internews.