Newsrooms and news media still mostly function on a national level. But the problem of climate change and the systems of power that impede the move away from fossil fuels are global in scope.

The goal of the Fossil Fuel Grant Program is to support professional journalists and/or newsrooms working in cross-border teams to look into and record the unseen actions of European fossil fuel businesses and their proxies both inside and outside of the continent.

This application can assist studies that examine local industry practices or policies between two or more locations, in addition to cross-border studies of fossil fuel sector activities.
The generated stories have to appear in a minimum of two distinct countries’ media outlets, with at least one of those publications having to be in Europe.

Brief Details:

• Provided by: Journalismfund
• Deadlines:
  • Thursday 25 July 2024 at 1pm CET (Brussels time)
  • Thursday 24 October 2024 at 1pm CET (Brussels time).
• Announcing Date: 40 days after the application deadline
• Gender: Any
• Eligible Nations: All

Benefits:

• A total of €50,000 will be made available and split among all supported studies.
• Additionally, the awards may provide initial funding for the creation of new research initiatives.
• Working hours and costs like planning, travel, insurance, getting legal counsel, translating, using technology and data sets, etc., can all be covered.
• Teams can apply for an experienced mentor to help with the investigation’s focus or a particular skill or ability in addition to financial support.
• Up to €1.000 in production costs are allowed.

Eligibility Criteria:

• The request for a journalistic inquiry concerning an environmental issue can be submitted by cross-border teams consisting of a minimum of two journalists and/or news outlets. Funding is only available to candidates who are able to lawfully reside in two or more foreign countries.
• The candidates have to be news organizations or experienced freelance journalists. In that regard, personal references and/or allusions to past work are crucial.
• News organizations must be formally incorporated as legal entities at least a year prior to the award call submission date.
• The proposed probe must deal with cross-border environmental investigative journalism, whether conducted inside or outside of Europe, on European matters. It follows that the inquiry must (also) have importance for Europe.
• This award can fund comparative studies of local environmental concerns and policies between two or more countries, regions, cities, etc., in addition to cross-border inquiries into environmental challenges.
• At least two reputable news sources in at least two distinct nations—at least one of which must be in Europe—must report the investigation’s findings. At least two letters of intent to publish from reputable news sources are needed.
• Any type of investigative journalism—print, web, broadcast, or cross-media—published by professional media is acceptable. Publications resulting from your inquiry may include picture reports and books, podcasts, documentaries and series on radio and television, newspaper and magazine articles, and journalistic non-fiction books.
• Applications must contain a budget calculation based on the template provided.

The following expenses cannot be covered by their grants:

• Overhead (managers, financial officers, coordinators, administrators, etc.),
• Material investments: products like computer hardware, cell phones, cameras, or other gear,
• Food and drink,
• Per diems.

Award Conditions:

• The Global Charter of Ethics for Journalists’ tenets, as well as any applicable national codes of ethics, must be endorsed by grantees and all other project participants.
• Each recipient and Journalismfund Europe sign an Agreement outlining the mutual terms and agreements.
• Grants are paid out in two installments: the first (2/3) is made after the agreement is signed, and the second (1/3) is made after the project is published and the financial report and accompanying documentation have been submitted, approved, and published.
• Euros are used to pay grants. They are solely disbursed via the grantees’ bank accounts; no other money transfer services are used.
• Journalismfund Europe bears all bank fees associated with overseas payments, excluding exchange rates.
• Any journalistic output that comes from a project that receives funding must specifically credit Journalismfund Europe.
• The general grant rules of Journalismfund Europe must be complied with by applicants.

Selection Criteria:

The jury will assess the applications based on these criteria:

• Aspect of the environment
• Extra value in comparison to media coverage
• Possibility
• The applicants’ prior experience
• Requirement for work effort
• International studies and narratives
• International networking, combining resources for research, information sharing, and institutional, policy, and financial oversight
• Strategy for engaging audiences
• The budget’s rationality and quality
• Demand for (co-)financing

Lastly, diversity within the worldwide selection of projects awarded will also be taken into account by the panel. This denotes diversity in regard to:

• region (both regarding stories and team members)
• topics
• methods and approaches
• publication forms
• team composition

How to Apply?

• To apply, kindly click the apply now button below, and Log in.
• Please review the grant details before you begin. There, you will find information on the rules, eligibility, assessment criteria, timeliness, etc.
• You can use their online application form after registering once with your email address. You are free to move around the form to check what details are required for your application. This comprises:
  • Specifics of the team members details of the planned investigation details of the planned publication channels, including news outlet letters of intent
  • A thorough budget that follows their budget template
• Additionally, you will need to provide a few administrative files.
• A draft application can be started by one team member. Then, he or she might extend an invitation to other people to work together on the online draft. The web application that is now being worked on can be saved and changed at any moment.

                                 Apply Now

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For more details, kindly refer to FAQ, or Journalismfund’s website.