Funding programme

Creative Europe is the EU’s funding programme for providing support to the culture and audiovisual sectors.

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Call overview

This call aims to protect news media sectors of special relevance to democracy and civic participation.

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Call detail

The European news media sectors play a crucial and valuable role in Europe. Yet, they are facing multiple challenges. Partially as a result of the digital shift, with readers shifting to online sources and traditional news outlets losing advertising revenues, the economic sustainability of professional journalism has come under pressure. Many media at the local level as well as those putting their public interest mission before profits, have had to close down, weakening media pluralism and posing risks for the good functioning of democracy.

Topic 2 Journalism Partnerships - Pluralism

Besides a purely economic aspect, independent media contribute to upholding the essential principles of media freedom and pluralism. This topic seeks to protect news media sectors of special relevance to democracy and civic participation, such as local and regional media, community media, investigative journalism and organisations delivering public interest news. Support will target organisations with experience in media to put in cascading grants which support third parties.

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Objectives  

• Increased innovation and creativity in business models, journalistic production processes and distribution processes; 
• Increased viability of professionally produced journalistic content. 
• Increased interest in professionally produced journalistic content, among various social groups, language groups and age groups; 
• Increased resilience, pluralism and editorial independence at EU level of sectors such as local, regional and community media, investigative media or media specialised in public interest topics. 
  Increased resilience of organisations active in the targeted news media sectors and protection of the news media landscape. 
• Improved uptake of new technologies across the targeted media sectors in as much this contributes to media pluralism and a diverse media landscape. 
• Fostering repositories of knowledge about media sectors delivering public interest news (e.g. by detecting areas with low provision of high-quality content and/or in which media pluralism is strained). 
• This topic covers media sectors that are particularly relevant for democracy. Certain sectors having an important role for democratic debate lack the means to adapt to the digital environment, and phenomena such as shrinking newsrooms or media deserts can lead to a deterioration of pluralism. Support is thus needed for them to improve their position, adapt their methods, continue providing a first-hand source of original reporting to citizens, help keep decision-makers accountable and ultimately contribute to a more diverse and independent sector.

Read the News Journalism Partnerships call document to check requirements.

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Priorities

Proposals must put in place funding schemes for news media entities and independent journalism. Accompanying activities may be proposed. Applicant organisations should be in a position to set up funding schemes (support to third parties) targeting news media outlets, organisations and, if needed, professionals, and in ways that enhance pluralistic media landscapes across the European Union. Non-profit and civil society organisations are particularly encouraged to apply.

The proposed activities must focus on news media sectors of special relevance to democracy and civic participation, i.e. the role they play in enhancing democracy, shaping the public debate and bringing benefits to their audiences and communities, instead of focusing just on profit. For the purpose of this call, these sectors are in particular:

• Local and regional media
• Independent and investigative journalism
• Organisations delivering public interest news/public service journalism (such as community, legal and civic journalism and media, news increasing transparency about the media)

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Eligibility

In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must

- be legal entities (public or private bodies)

- be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:

• Creative Europe Participating Countries: EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
• non-EU countries: listed EEA countries and countries associated with the Creative Europe Programme (list of participating countries).

The action is open to organisations which are active in the news media sector including media associations, NGOs, non-profit organisations, civil society organisations, public authorities, international organisations, universities, research centres, journalistic funds and training organisations focusing on media professionals, profitmaking entities, and foundations.

‍Read the News Journalism Partnerships - Pluralism call document to check requirements and eligibility.

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Consortium composition

Proposals must be submitted either by single applicants or by a consortium of at least two applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from eligible countries.

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Budget

Total budget: EUR 5 258 066

Project budget (maximum grant amount): €2,500,000 per project.

The grant will be a budget-based (actual costs, with unit cost and flat-rate elements). This means that it will reimburse ONLY certain types of costs (eligible costs) and costs that were actually incurred for your project (NOT the budgeted costs). For unit costs and flat-rates, you can charge the amounts calculated as explained in the Grant Agreement (see art 6 and Annex 2 and 2a).

The costs will be reimbursed at the funding rate fixed in the Grant Agreement at 90% of the total eligible costs.