Open call for European Cross-Border Grants

This award-winning European Cross-Border Grant programme (running since 2009) supports cross-border teams of professional journalists and/or news outlets who have good ideas for cross-border investigations and for research on European topics. The stories must be relevant to European target groups.

These are projects that have great news value and depth, and at the same time are original, innovative and time-consuming, and would not be realised without financial support. Projects can include cross-border research and established and innovative investigative methods.

Journalismfund Europe supports costs related to journalistic research for all media. This can include travel, translation, access to pay-databases or simply time to research. They do not support fixed costs such as office costs, investments such as cameras or computers or production costs.

Next to a grant, teams can also apply for a mentor to provide assistance with either the focus of the investigation or the need for competences in a specific skill.

Funding Information

• In 2024 the total grant budget is €900,000 to distribute over four application rounds (€225,000 per call).

For who?

• Teams of journalists and/or independent media from at least two countries in Europe are eligible to apply. At least 80% of your requested budget must go to journalists/media from EU countries.

Eligibility Criteria

• Cross-border investigative teams of at least two journalists and/or media outlets can submit a proposal for journalistic investigations in Europe. These are projects that have great news value and depth, and at the same time are original, innovative and time-consuming, and would not be realised without financial support.
• This grant programme is open to journalists/media outlets domiciled in at least two different countries. When relevant for the story, team members from outside Europe can be accepted, too. At least 80% of your requested budget should go to journalists/media from EU countries.
• The applicants must be professional freelance journalists and/or media outlets. Personal references and/or references to earlier work are essential in that respect. Students are not eligible. Media outlets must be legal entities officially incorporated at least one year before the application deadline of the grant call.
• The project must be published by at least two professional news outlets in at least two different European countries. Letters of intent (LOI) for publication from at least two professional news outlets are required.
• Journalists who were previously allocated a grant by Journalismfund Europe can reapply. The jury will include the result of previous grants in their evaluation of the new application.
• Investigative journalism published by professional media in any form is eligible, no matter whether print, online, broadcast or cross-media. All journalistic end products qualify for a grant: newspaper and magazine articles, radio and television documentaries and series, photo-reportages and books, podcasts and journalistic non-fiction books.
• All relevant topics are eligible. However, if your investigation proposal concerns the environment, please turn to the Investigation Grants for Environmental Journalism.

Grant Conditions

• The grantees and all other persons involved in the project have to endorse the principles of the Global Charter of Ethics for Journalists as well as the national codes of ethics that are in force.
• Every grantee signs an Agreement with Journalismfund Europe that states the mutual arrangements and conditions.
• Grants are paid in two instalments: the first (2/3) upon signature of the Agreement, the second (1/3) after publication of the project and submission of the supporting documents for the expenses.
• Grants are paid in euro. They are only paid out on the bank accounts of the grantees, not via other money transfer services. Any bank charges for international payments are carried by Journalismfund Europe, except for exchange rates.
• Any journalistic product that is the result of the supported project explicitly has to mention the support from Journalismfund Europe.

Assessment Criteria

• The jury will assess the applications based on these criteria:
  • added value compared to mainstream coverage
  • relevance in society
  • newsworthiness
  • quality and originality of research methods and presentation/storytelling
  • feasibility of the investigation, timeline and budget
  • team structure and experience of the applicants
  • work effort requirement
  • cross-border aspect
  • pooling research, capacity and knowledge
  • watchdog of EU institutions, policies and money

For more information, visit Journalismfund Europe.