Call for Grant Proposals: Global Media Defence Fund to support Journalists

Deadline: 28-Aug-23

UNESCO invites not-for-profit organizations to submit proposals aimed at strengthening legal protection for journalists and promoting media freedom through investigative journalism or strategic litigation.

The GMDF seeks partnerships with specialized not-for-profit organizations (e.g. NGOs, media associations, journalists’ unions, human right defenders, lawyers’ associations and pro bono legal aid organizations, investigative journalism networks, foundations, academic institutions, etc). Working on the ground at the local, regional, and international level to enhance media freedom and bolster the legal protection of journalists.

Outputs

• These projects, aligned with international human rights standards, should contribute to enhancing media freedom and strengthening journalists’ legal protection by advancing at least one of the following GMDF Outputs:
  • Output 2: Reinforcing the operationalization of national protection mechanisms and peer support networks to ensure journalists rapid access to legal assistance, bolster their defense and enhance their safety, taking into account the gendered nature of the threats against them;
  • Output 3: Supporting investigative journalism that contributes to reduced impunity for crimes against journalists by holding the justice system accountable and by pursuing investigative work that risks being censored when journalists are attacked; imprisoned, or murdered; and to enhancing the safety of those conducting this line of work;
  • Output 4: Enhancing structures for fostering strategic litigation in order to protect environments where the legal frameworks are conducive to an independent, free, and pluralistic media ecosystem.

Objectives

• The objective of this Call for Partnerships is providing financial support to local, regional, and international projects that, in line with international human rights standards, will enhance media freedom and bolster journalists’ legal protection by advancing at least one of the following GMDF Outputs:
  • Output 2
    • Projects supporting Output 2 may implement different activities, including (amongst others):
      • Establishing, operationalizing and/or reinforcing mechanisms (legal units, legal protection teams, legal helplines, digital aid platforms) that will provide rapid, specialized and gender-sensitive legal assistance (including legal advice, legal representation, etc.) to journalists and/or media outlets facing attacks, threats, excessive or undue restrictions, and/or legal proceedings related to the rightful exercise of their profession.
      • Documenting, monitoring, and evaluating the compliance of the investigation and prosecution of cases of crimes against journalists with UNESCO-IAP Guidelines for Prosecutors on Cases of Crimes against Journalists.
      • Establishing, operationalizing, and coordinating peer support networks to connect journalists in need of legal assistance with relevant organizations providing legal services to journalists in a manner that effectively enhances the latter’s legal protection.
  • Output 3
    • Projects supporting Output 3 may implement different activities, including (but not limited to):
      • Monitoring, documenting and broadly exposing cases of threats and/or attacks against journalists as a means of securing public commitment from relevant authorities to make perpetrators accountable, and thus achieve progress in the investigation of such crimes.
      • Carrying out in-depth journalistic investigations on specific cases of violence against journalists.
      • Advancing journalistic investigations to pursue or draw awareness to investigative work that risks being terminated or censored when journalists are attacked, threatened, arbitrarily imprisoned or murder.
  • Output 4
    • Strategic litigation consists in identifying and pursuing legal cases with significative strategic potential before national, regional and/or international courts, as part of a strategy to promote and protect freedom of expression and a free press.
    • Projects supporting Output 4 may implement different activities, including (but not limited to):
      • Identifying and pursuing the investigation, prosecution, and sanction of cases involving violations against journalists and/or the right to freedom of expression on the basis of strategic litigation before national, regional, and/or international courts.
      • Producing, submitting, and encouraging amicus curiae briefs in relation to strategic litigation cases before higher national courts and regional/international human rights courts.
      • Resorting to UN special procedures mechanisms to intervene in response to cases of violence against journalists and violations to the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of the press.

Funding Information

• The total amount earmarked for the co-financing of projects under this Call is estimated at USD $1.4 million. This amount will be distributed among the proposals with the highest evaluation score (estimated number of grants: 40).
• The size of the grants that will be distributed under this Call will go from a minimum USD $15,000 up to a maximum USD $35,000. The amount requested by candidate partners should be commensurate with their entities’ proven administrative and financial management capabilities.

Duration

• The activities described in the partnership proposal must cover a minimum 6 months and a maximum 18 months of implementation.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible Candidates
  • Within the framework of this Call for Partnerships, UNESCO seeks joint action with implementation partners.
  • Implementation partners are entities with a not-for-profit status to which UNESCO entrusts partially or fully the implementation of programs or projects specified in a signed document (an Implementations Partners Agreement or IPA), along with the assumption of full responsibility and accountability for the effective use of resources and the delivery of outputs as set forth in such a document.
  • The partner receives funding through UNESCO to deliver the program or project but must provide its own “added value” in terms of a monetary or in-kind contribution.
  • Candidate implementation partners must comply with the following criteria:
    • Legal Status
      • This Call for Partnerships is open to not-for-profit entities only (e.g. NGOs, media associations, journalists’ unions, human right defenders, lawyers’ associations and pro bono legal aid organizations, investigative journalism networks, foundations, academic institutions, etc.).
      • Candidates must demonstrate that their not-for-profit status does not permit the good or services they provide to be a source of income, profit or other financial gain for the units that establish, control, or finance them, and that their purposes, function, and operation are not-for-profit in character.
      • Candidate partners must have been active and registered as not-for-profit entities for at least two years.
      • Natural persons, private companies, unincorporated entities and organizations with less than two years of incorporation/activity are not eligible for funding.
    • Capacity
      • Candidate implementation partners must meet the following criteria:
        • Provide ‘added value’ in terms of a monetary or in-kind contribution (quantified).
        • Have a sound financial status: applicants must prove they have stable and sufficient sources of funding to maintain their activity throughout the project period.
        • Display basic managerial and record-keeping competencies, as well as appropriate internal control procedures.
        • Display a commitment to defend and respect human rights, freedom of expression and gender equality.
        • Have the capacity to:
          • Manage the volume of funds and to implement the agreed-upon activities in an efficient and effective manner.
          • Participate in planning, monitoring, and evaluation activities (the latter, if applicable).
          • Assign a staff to carry out or lead the implementation of the project.
  • Applicants who have already been awarded funding under a previous Call for Partnerships of the GMDF, UNESCO’s regular program or under other extra-budgetary may also be eligible to apply for a grant under the Global Media Defence Fund, if they meet the requirements.
  • An applicant cannot submit more than one partnership proposal under this Call for Partnerships, and thus cannot be awarded more than one grant.

For more information, visit UNESCO.