Deadline: 30 April 2020
Internews’ Media Program in Ukraine (MPU), a project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), invites Ukrainian media organizations (preferably and where possible in partnership with non-traditional players in the media field, such as businesses, IT, mobile communication companies, social enterprises, advertising agencies and associations) to submit project proposals to the Strengthening Media Financial Sustainability Grants Competition.
Internews will support projects that contribute to the Media Program objective of strengthening and sustaining key media institutions and processes.
This grant competition is a focused but flexible mechanism that provides opportunities to design effective media management and financial models, and services to audiences.
These projects will look for opportunities to tackle one or more of the issues below:
- Help Ukrainian media strengthen their financial independence and find ways to survive in a challenging business and advertising environment;
- Help local media thrive in the transition to digital environments;
- Improve media companies’ business development and viability;
- Promote corporate social responsibility, promote new forms of advertising, foster a healthier advertising environment for media, and promote media as an ethical business;
- Promote innovative partnerships between media practitioners and non-traditional players in the media field.
Proposed projects may include (but are not limited to) the following illustrative activities:
- Requests for investment to cope with the reduction in advertising revenues, build sales and advertising units, cover salaries of key staff working on news and information content, and strengthen sustainability over the next year.
- Organizing activities between media outlets and business community leaders to work together on viable media business tools and investment concepts to strengthen the sustainability of independent small and medium media outlets and non-governmental media organizations and help them survive challenging economic times;
- Building coalitions between media practitioners and businesses to provide direct support toward enhancing media outlets’ capacities in running as business entities. Specifically, this could include developing business skills and non-profit ways of income, consulting support around strategic planning, financial planning and budgeting to build sustainable organizations for the long term;
- Developing joint cooperation activities between a media outlet and a research entity to study the media outlet’s audience;
- Supporting partnership activities between a media outlet and a local community to create services that local residents need;
- Supporting the introduction and further functioning of initiatives like the United for News-led Whitelisting project (whereby media are promoted to advertisers as fulfilling basic quality standards and audience outreach and advertisers redirect funding to whitelisted media).
Funding Information
- Awards of amounts up to US25,000 can be awarded more quickly but the selection committee will consider applications for up to $50,000 if well justified.
- The average amount of awarded grants will likely be around US$30,000 for projects of up to six-months’ duration. The projects are expected to start from August.
Proposal Evaluation
- Proposals which do not correspond to MPU’s priority activities and requirements will not be considered.
- A jury of independent experts will evaluate all proposals, compile a short list and select the winners. Please, note that only shortlisted and winning applicants will be contacted.
- Internews may contact an applicant organization if any additional information regarding the submitted proposal is required.
- Please note the project consideration process can take one calendar month.
- All awards are subject to available funding and USAID approval.
Selection Criteria
Each proposal will receive an appropriate number of points according to the following criteria:
- The proposal offers an innovative approach for achieving the Media Program in Ukraine’s priorities.
- The project can achieve expected results in the referenced period of time.
- Recommended types of activities make achieving expected results possible.
- The applicant demonstrates sufficient technical skills, experience and capacity to achieve the proposed activities.
- The applicant is able to demonstrate a history of high professional and ethical standards, with an independent editorial policy.
- The project budget is reasonable and cost effective.
- The cost share is no less that 10 percent of the requested amount.
For more information, visit https://internews.in.ua/news/new-grants-competition-strengthening-media-financial-sustainability/