Call for Proposals: Enhancing Media Resilience and Quality News Journalism
The Open Society Institute – Sofia is pleased to announce a Call for Proposals to provide grants for initiatives that enhance media resilience and promote quality news journalism in the following five countries: Bulgaria (BG), Croatia (HR), Greece (EL), Hungary (HU), and Slovenia (SL).
THE OBJECTIVE OF THE CALL is to support independent news media in implementing initiatives aimed at: increasing their financial resilience; addressing emerging technological challenges impacting their work; fostering the development of quality journalism; counteracting the influence of populism and propaganda; and enhancing outreach to social groups vulnerable to disinformation.
WHO IS INVITED TO APPLY
We invite proposals from independent news media entities in the above-listed countries working to promote democracy, pluralism, social inclusion, human rights, media literacy, intercultural dialogue, EU values and help keep decision-makers accountable.
BASIC INFORMATION
- Total amount for grants under this Call: Up to EUR 1,560,000
- At least 10% of the funds will be allocated to support investigative journalism, and at least 30% will support local, regional, and community media
- Maximum grant per Initiative: Up to EUR 60,000
- Initiatives can last for a period of up to 12 months and must be completed by May 31, 2026, at the latest
- Submission Deadline: April 7, 2025, by 17:00 EET
For detailed information, please see the APPLICATION GUIDELINES
INFORMATION WEBINARS FOR APPLICANTS
Information webinars will be held in the period from February 17 to March 21, 2025. These webinars will cover program and financial topics, as well as key media issues relevant to this Call. Exact dates and additional information will be published on the Project Website.
This call for proposal is announced under the project Media Resilience: Nurturing Quality News Journalism. The goal of the project is to strengthen a free, diverse, and pluralistic news media landscape and promote quality journalism, with an emphasis on enhancing quality media outreach to the most vulnerable groups in society susceptible to disinformation. The Project, led by the Open Society Institute – Sofia and implemented in cooperation with the European Citizen Action Service and ProMedia, is co-financed by the European Union through the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) under the Creative Europe (CREA) programme (Grant Number 101180135).
