Call for Applications: Central Europe Media Resilience Grants Programme

February 15, 2024

December 15, 2023

Publication date: December 15, 2023.

Application Deadline: February 15, 2024.

The Prague Civil Society Centre is launching a call for applications from independent media organisations in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and Romania for our Central Europe Media Resilience Grants Programme.

This funding opportunity will provide financial and technical support that will help enhance the sustainability and impact of independent media organisations, enabling them to produce high-quality,fact-based, critical journalism that engages audiences and addresses important issues requiring public debate and scrutiny.

Eligible applicants must be a legally registered entity (for-profit or non-profit) that has been operating for at least one year as an independent media outlet in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia or Romania.

Grants are available to small and medium-sized independent media outlets that have a strong digital presence at the national or regional level. Both established publications and newer initiatives are welcome to apply.

For full information on eligibility criteria please refer to the Guidelines for Grant Application.

Grants will support projects aimed at generating revenue streams, expanding audiences, or experimenting with innovative tools and approaches to reporting and managing media organisations.

We want to support projects that address important organisational needs and challenges or are exploiting available opportunities for growth and organisational improvement.

Proposals that demonstrate a clear plan for sustaining the project results beyond the grant period and that fit logically into the broader long-term strategy of the organisation will prioritized.

Grants of €25.000 to€120,000 will be awarded for a period of 12 to 24 months.

In addition to financial support,media outlets receiving a grant will have the opportunity to connect with industry experts and peers, and to access on-demand personalised advice on industry-specific challenges and opportunities from a network of leading media practitioners.

Fill out the online application form.

The form consists of a series of questions and documents that must be uploaded to the form.

Here is the Project Proposal file and the Project Budget file that need to be filled and uploaded to the online application form.

Only complete applications that have been submitted in accordance with the Guidelines for Grant Application will be considered.

Online information meetings will be organised on January 9, 2024 and January 24, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. (Central European Time). Please register for the consultation meeting by sending your preferred date to the email address: cep@praguecivilsociety.org

Proposals will be reviewed by an independent expert board and decisions will be based solely on the merit of the proposal. Funding priority is given to applications from organisations that are not currently receiving funding from other U.S. government-funded sources.

For details on the selection process, please refer to Guidelines for Grant Application.

Decision on the grants to be awarded will be made by April 30, 2024.

Supported projects will start no later than July 1, 2024.

For inquiries, please contact the Prague Civil Society Centre at: cep@praguecivilsociety.org.

Inquiries may relate to procedural and technical issues related to the submission of applications.

Before sending us your inquiries, please check the list of Frequently Asked Questions.

We also invite you to attend online consultation meetings where you will have a chance to ask us questions related to procedural and technical issues regarding the submission of applications. There will be two online consultation meetings organised on:

- January 9, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. CET (deadline for registration is January 5, 2024).

- January 24, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. CET (deadline for registration is January 20, 2024).

Please register for the online consultation meetings before the registration deadline by sending your preferred date to the email address: cep@praguecivilsociety.org

For more information about the Prague Civil Society Centre please refer to our website.

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This call for applications is a part of our Central Europe Media Resilience Grant Programme aimed at supporting and empowering local actors in independent media and the civic sector in Central Europe to safeguard democratic institutions and strengthen networks of active citizens defending democratic values. Learn more about the Central Europe Media Resilience Grants Programme.

The current call for proposals is made possible with the support from USAID.

>> Key links and files for the applicants.