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38 news organisations and freelancers receive grant funding as part of the Engagement and Innovation Funds

We are pleased to announce 38 new grantees as part of wave 1 of the European Journalism COVID-19 Support Fund, in partnership with the Facebook Journalism Project (FJP).

Through the Engagement Fund, eight news organisations and 25 freelancers are receiving grants of €5,000 each for specific initiatives to engage their communities during the pandemic. These initiatives include the creation of podcasts, newsletters, reporting series, or producing new, short-term print products.

Through the Innovation Fund, five news organisations are being awarded €50,000 each. They are using the funds for projects that facilitate innovative and useful technological reporting of the COVID-19 crisis, in-depth data journalism or reporting series to demonstrate developments in communities.

Across both Funds, the grants are being used to cover the salaries of staff members; bring on board freelancers; pay for equipment and other technology essential to executing these initiatives; and to cover marketing costs.

As was the case for the Emergency Fund, we followed the same independent judging process for the Engagement and Innovation Funds. The process involved three steps: an eligibility check, an appraisal from qualified experts and EJC team members, and a due diligence check.

Thank you to each organisation and individual that took the time to submit an application to wave 1 of the European Journalism COVID-19 Support Fund, we appreciate your patience throughout this process. Our team has read 1,857 applications in the last couple of months, and we are grateful for the great work that journalists all over Europe are doing to keep their communities informed.

A second wave of funding will open later this summer (date to be announced soon). We will take the next few weeks to reflect on our process and our learnings in order to ensure the second wave of funding will serve the needs of European news organisations as they continue to navigate the impact of COVID-19.

If you submitted an application as part of wave 1, your application may be considered for wave 2 of funding. You will not need to re-apply. Updates about the second wave of funding will be communicated through the EJC’s social media channels and via the Fund mailing list.

We're thrilled to introduce you to the 38 news organisations and freelance journalists receiving engagement and innovation grant funding:

Engagement Fund

Austria

Denise Hruby (€5,000)

Croatia

Barbara Matejcic (€5,000)

France

Alice Coffin (€5,000)

Germany

Benedict Wermter (€5,000)

Tom Wills / The Left Berlin (€5,000)

Greece

Çağdaş Kaplan (€5,000)

Augustine Zenakos (€5,000)

Italy

Adriana Malandrino (€5,000)

Linda Dorigo (€5,000)

Lithuania

Vitold Jancis (€5,000)

Moldova

Iurie Sanduta (€5,000)

Poland

Joanna Warecha (€5,000)

Portugal

Jornal Almadense (€5,000)

Romania

Bogdan Dinca (€5,000)

Sanda Nicola (€5,000)

Serbia

Nebojsa Milosavljevic (€5,000)

Spain

María Clara Montoya (€5,000)

Marco Sifuentes (€5,000)

Ricardo Garcia Vilanova (€5,000)

Eva Parey (€5,000)

CUAC FM (Community Radio Station) (€5,000)

The Netherlands

Anja Vink (€5,000)

Turkey

Mehmet Arif Koşar (€5,000)

Fariba Nawa / On Spec Podcast (€5,000)

Ukraine

NGO Lustration Anti-corruption Council of Prydniprovya (LACP) (€5,000)

United Kingdom

Gill Oliver (€5,000)

Hazel Sheffield (€5,000)

Caroline Hellyer (€5,000)

Star & Crescent Community Media CIC (€5,000)

West Leeds Community Media (€5,000)

VIEWdigital (€5,000)

The Manchester Meteor (€5,000)

Flyover Media CIC (€5,000)

Innovation Fund

Belgium

Apache (€50,000)

France

Mediacités (€50,000)

Italy

Slow News (€50,000)

Romania

Buletin.de Bucuresti (€50,000)

Spain

Civio (€50,000)

More details about these organisations and freelance journalists, including what they are using the grant funding for, can be found here.

Stay informed

Sign up to our mailing list to register your interest for the grants. You will be notified when applications open as well as receive relevant updates about the fund.