European Journalism Centre grant program extends list of eligible countries

MANILA, Philippines - The European Journalism Centre (EJC) is thrilled to announce that it has received over 300 applications in the third round of the Innovation in Development Reporting Grant Programme.

Over the next four weeks, the EJC will evaluate the entries and inform all applicants of the status of their application(s). Due to the large number of submissions, we will however not be able to give individual feedback to unsuccessful candidates. Shortlisted applicants will have one month’s time to submit a complete proposal and provide any necessary supporting documents. The grants will be announced in the end of May. 

“We are also happy to announce that, in light of new data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) regarding development aid spending, and in common agreement with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, we are extending the list of eligible countries to now also include Denmark. We are extremely pleased to welcome Denmark aboard and are confident that Danish media will show high interest in covering global development stories,” says EJC Director Wilfried Ruetten.  

Interested journalists, who did not get around to pitching their development reporting idea in time should keep the next submission deadline in mind. The fourth deadline to apply is on 23rd July 2014 (22:00 CET). Applications can be submitted online here.

The Innovation in Development Reporting Grant Programme (IDR) was launched in January 2013 by the EJC with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. A selection of state-of-the-art reporting projects of great impact and high visibility will be awarded funding aimed to reward quality journalism and advance a new and distinctive agenda for development coverage. In 2013 the EJC awarded 28 grants. A showcase of these projects can be seen here.

The European Journalism Centre (EJC) is a non-profit international foundation with the remit to improve, strengthen, and underpin journalism and the news media. This mission has two main aspects: On the one hand, it is about safeguarding, enhancing, and future-proofing quality journalism in Europe and on the other hand, it is about supporting initiatives towards press freedom in emerging and developing countries. This often includes creating the framework conditions for independent and self-determined journalism in the first place. To these ends, the EJC provides thematic training, professional capacity development, and a wide range of support activities for journalists.