Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war of aggression, 11 journalists have been killed and 28 wounded in Ukraine. Many Ukrainian media workers were forced to flee; some have settled abroad and are now trying to (re-)launch their media projects in exile. Physical safety and mental health concerns, limited funding opportunities, and the risk of unemployment are deepening the crisis facing the Ukrainian media sector. The funding programme Strengthening Ukrainian Investigative Reporting was launched in 2022 to support joint investigations and cooperation between Ukrainian and German journalists. In 2023, with the war still ongoing, the programme continues to support cross-border media projects and expands opportunities for individual media projects, investigative reporting, and content production for editorial offices and journalists.

The Journalist in Need Network invites Ukrainian media workers to submit applications on a wide range of topics, including Russia’s invasion and war crimes, German and EU politics, as well as social, cultural, historical and other issues. Use of innovative approaches, such as analysing big data, working with archives, publishing, and promoting publications in multimedia and interactive formats, will enhance their chances of receiving grant support.

Conditions and Extent of Support​

The programme provides grants rangingt from €3,000 to €12,000. Applications must be submitted through an online form and designed as short-term media projects. It is possible to co-finance an existing project in the final stages of realisation. Support can be provided for the full project implementation, promotion, increasing the number of publications, translation, or content repackaging .

Grant funds can be used to cover the costs of staff involved in the project, honoraria, equipment rental, and travel expenses. Grants cannot be used to cover the purchase of hardware or equipment.

Project reporting​

Reporting must be submitted after project implementation, by the end of January 2024, as a short description of the project results and main activities, with links to the final publications. Project implementation must be completed by the end of this year. Reports and investigations can be published after the end of the project but no later than April 2024. In such cases, a draft version of the publication indicating the expected date and format, the expected audience reach, and promotion plan must be attached to the report.