Ij4eu Investigation Support Scheme – Second Call

Key Information

• Eligibility: To be eligible under the Investigation Support Scheme, applications must be sent by teams of journalists and/or news organisations that meet the following criteria:
  • They must be based in at least two EU member states or at least one EU member state and one official EU candidate country;
  • The proposed project must focus on a topic of cross-border relevance; and
  • The proposed project must be a new project, one that has only recently begun or a new phase of an existing project.
• Funding amount: From €5,000 up to a maximum of €50,000. Co-funding is encouraged.
• Type of funding: Core programatic – The IJ4EU grant may be used to cover nearly any costs necessary for the production of journalistic content. This includes, but is not limited to, salary and human resource costs for both employed journalists and freelance journalists, research- and production-related costs, travel costs and translation costs. Hardware costs (e.g., computers and video cameras) are not eligible.
• Target countries: Applicants must be in at least two EU member states or at least one EU member state and one official EU candidate country.
• Process/award timelines: The second call opened on 10 August 2020, with an application deadline of 18 September 2020. IJ4EU aims to notify selected projects by mid-October 2020. Applications will undergo an initial pre-screening to review basic application requirements and applicants may be asked during this phase to supply additional information. Applications that do not meet basic requirements will not be forwarded to the jury. An independent jury will select the projects to be funded.
• Application languages: English
• Success rate: €200,000 is being provided via the Publication Support Scheme (another type of grants that the IJ4EU offers) in 2020 to support at least 32 collaborative projects. In 2018, a total of 63 cross-border teams applied for the fund, and the fund provided 350,000 euros to 12 projects.

You can find more information about the Investigation Support Scheme and eligibility criteria here.

GFMD Hosted Webinar About the Grant Programme

On May 7^th, 2020, Scott Griffen, Deputy Director of the International Press Institute (IPI) and Kathryn Geels, Programme Director at the European Journalism Centre (EJC) hosted a GFMD member-only webinar focusing on their ongoing Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU) grant programme. You can read about the webinar or see the webinar recording here.

IJ4EU’s Investigation Support scheme provides grants of up to €50,000 to new cross-border investigative projects. This scheme expects to provide €800,000 in grants in 2020.

There will be two calls in 2020 under the Investigation Support scheme.

• The first call opened on 5 May 2020 and the application deadline was 14 June 2020.
• The second call opened on 10 August 2020. The application deadline is 18 September 2020 (23:59)

The proposed project must aim to reveal new information. Applications must justify the relevance of the investigation for the public in the target countries or for the broader European public sphere. Investigative teams already in existence or formed for an IJ4EU project are equally welcome to apply.

The Investigation Support scheme will provide support to three types of projects: new investigative projects; new phases of existing investigative projects; or investigative projects in early stages of developments.

Freelance journalists, staff journalists and news organisations, or any combination of these, are equally welcome to apply. Beyond fulfilling the basic geographic criteria, there are no restrictions regarding the composition of investigative teams or the number of team members. IJ4EU will consider funding all platforms, including print, broadcast, online media, documentary filmmaking, and multi-platform story-telling.

Applications must be submitted via the Award Force platform. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read thoroughly the full eligibility and application details and to consult IJ4EU’s FAQ page.

The Investigation Support scheme is managed by the International Press Institute (IPI).