Innovation Grants Program

• Eligibility Criteria
  To be eligible for the innovation grants program:
  – Applicants must operate in Algeria, Tunisia or Libya but may be based outside these three countries;
  – Applicants must not be affiliated to a political party;
  – Previous experience in media projects is an asset;
  – Media start-ups, journalism incubators, innovative media initiatives, non-profit and for-profit media organisations are eligible to apply;
  – Multi-country initiatives (between target countries) and/or joint applications from different actors (media, technology, business) are strongly encouraged;
  – Applicants must provide clearly defined and realistic indicators of success. It is essential that projects demonstrate a tangible impact on target audiences. Although projects may be experimental, they must be measurable and have clearly defined objectives.
• Type of Funding: Programmatic
• Target Region: Algeria, Tunisia and Libya
• Application Language: French or Arabic

The Al Khatt and Free Press Unlimited, with the support of the European Union, has launched the innovative grants program to support innovative media initiatives that encourage the creation of audience-based media solutions.

This includes supporting projects that use new technologies and social media to effectively reach and engage audiences. These solutions should also aim to strengthen the diversity of media voices, promote access to information and encourage citizen participation. The overall aim of the project is to stimulate innovation in media and journalism to build audience loyalty and interaction.

Objectives

This Innovation Grants Program aims to:

• Stimulate innovation in the media to increase audience engagement.
• Support independent media initiatives to produce quality journalism and increase audience engagement.
• Promote diversity and inclusion in the media.
• Strengthen the economic viability of the media.

Eligible Activities

• Technical innovations in newsrooms.
• Development of innovative multimedia formats.
• Activities to strengthen public engagement.

Eligible costs

• Direct expenditure (salaries).
• Purchase or hire of equipment.
• Software licences, data visualisation and publication resources, hosting/streaming server costs, etc.
• Direct costs for: a) knowledge exchange/peer learning visits; and/or b) networking activities, including travel and accommodation costs, per diems, travel insurance, visa costs, etc.
• Access to specialised databases or specific publications/networks.
• Consultancy fees.
• Subscription fees for the Indepth tool (paid directly by FPU).

Funding Information

Amount available: Maximum €20,000 per project. Please note that this budget must comply with the following rules:

• EUR 249/month (maximum 8 months, i.e. EUR 1992) for the entire duration of the project must be included as a monthly subscription to the audience analysis tool ¨Indepth¨. The selected organisations will be trained by the Al Khatt Association in the use of this tool.
• The grant awarded must be co-financed. The amount of the grant may not exceed 70% of the total cost of the project, the remaining 30% being financed by other means (external or own resources). For example, to receive a grant of €20,000, the applicant must submit a project for a total amount of €28,570.
• Duration: Maximum 8 months.
• Number of projects funded: 4 innovative projects.

See here to learn more and apply.

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