European Journalism Centre: Innovation in Development Reporting Grant Programme (IDR)

Deadline: 21 February 2018

The European Journalism Centre (EJC) is currently seeking applications for its Innovation in Development Reporting Grant Programme (IDR) on the topic of opportunities for women today in developing countries.

The Innovation in Development Reporting Grant Programme (IDR) is a media funding project operated by the European Journalism Centre. The grant programme aims to advance innovative reporting approaches, thus enabling a better coverage of international development issues.

Grant Information

The average grant given is around €20,000 and the programme is open to both freelancers and newsrooms.

Country Focus

To be eligible, your story must report on one or more of the world’s developing countries, (ideally Least Developed Countries (LDCs)), and/or the key European donor countries’ development relations with these countries.
Please note that countries excluded from reporting are: the former Yugoslav Republic, former Soviet Union countries, China and countries covered by a US financial embargo (Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria).

Eligibility Criteria

Both freelance journalists and employed newsroom staff may apply. There is no citizenship, nationality or residence/location restriction on the applicants as long as the final results are published in relevant media organisations with significant reach to audiences in one or more of the following European countries: (France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and United Kingdom).
Only media outlets from the eligible countries can be considered as primary outlets. Secondary outlets may cater to any other European country, while publications outside Europe are most welcome for supplemental dissemination.
Freelance journalists are expected to pitch their stories to the media organisations themselves, and are encouraged to charge freelance fees where appropriate. The Journalism Grants community is a great place to get advice on which partners to target. We also encourage partnerships with media organisations who have not previously published IDR projects and journalists who are not specialists in development issues.
Newsrooms and their employed journalists are particularly encouraged to apply, however applications from state-owned or directly government-controlled entities are not eligible. The Guardian and Le Monde Afrique are also not eligible as primary publication partners, as they already receive direct support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Ineligible media outlets cannot be considered as primary publication partners, but can be included as part of an application as secondary publication partners alongside other eligible outlets.

Selection Criteria

Grants judge applications based on three criteria: