Civitates: Request for proposals: Supporting independent public interest journalism (Deadline extended to 30 June 2020!)

In this time of unprecedented challenge caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, Civitates has extended the deadline for applications for its Request for Proposals to support independent, public interest journalism in Europe.
By providing two extra months, Civitates would like to show its solidarity with independent, public interest journalism organizations, whose efforts are all the more vital at a time of crisis.
The grants are still expected to go out by the end of this year, so the additional application time will not have any negative impact on the starting date of the grants.

The new deadline for the Request for Proposals is 30 June 2020.

Civitates aims to establish a strong cohort of independent, public interest journalism organisations which defend democracy in Europe by exposing abuses of power and drivers of polarization, and defending a space in which all voices are heard.

Civitates hopes to help bring substantial funding into the sector, while in the meantime providing structural, core support for the exciting but stretched organisations that exist in this space.

Civitates welcomes proposals for core grants to strengthen public interest journalism organisations across Europe.

Civitates aims to establish a diverse cohort of independent, public interest journalism organisations which defend democracy in Europe by covering stories of societal importance – by exposing abuses of power and drivers of polarization and defending a space in which all voices are heard.

The fund will provide multi-year commitments for general operating support and the institutional strengthening of its grantee partners to build more durable, more resilient, more networked, and more impactful public interest journalism organisations in Europe.

In addition to strengthening specific organizations, Civitates will connect its grantee partners, encouraging them to learn and grow stronger together. This network effect is an essential element of this line of work and grantee partners are expected to play an active role in it.

Want to know more?
Please carefully read the Request for Proposals and Frequently Asked Questions on the Civitates website to find out if you are eligible for funding and to learn how to apply. 

Eligibility

Civitates accepts applications from organisations registered in any of the following countries:
Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom.
…and that…
• engage in public interest journalism that informs the public about what matters to
everyone in society, reporting about the common good, the general welfare and the
security and well-being of everyone in the community/audience it serves (investigative
journalism is included / excluded are organisations focusing purely on breaking news,
infotainment or the daily news grind);
• Are independent of political, commercial, and religious interests (excluded are
organisations with a partisan agenda);
• Produce in-depth journalism (explanatory and/or investigative), demonstrating a
commitment to producing journalism to high standards (no aggregation sites or
‘churnalism’ setups which cut and paste all content from press releases);
• Are registered as not-for-profit organisations or have a constitution that stipulates that all
profits are retained for journalism and not shared as dividends;
• Are registered as a legal entity and have a proven track record with at least 12 months of
active coverage;
• Uphold high professional standards, including a commitment to truth and accuracy,
fairness and impartiality, humanity / minimizing harm, transparency and accountabilityParticularly welcome are applications from organisations that:

Particularly welcome are applications from organisations that:

  • The market has failed to support independent public interest journalism; and/or
  • The free media have been captured by state or non-state actors; and/or
  • There is a hostile legal environment for independent public interest journalism.
  • Are facing legal, digital, or other types of threats;
  • Do not have the capacity to access large grants from institutions like the EU;