Media Fund Serbia

The support to the Balkan Trust for Democracy for this sub-granting process is part of larger efforts of Norway and Switzerland to support an improved media environment in Serbia. 

 

OPEN CALL FOR PROPOSALS  

Investigative Journalism  

 

The purpose of the call

The Media Fund Serbia is a program implemented by the Balkan Trust for Democracy of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, with support of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade/Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA) and the Swiss Development Cooperation Office in Serbia (SDC).  

The program focuses on the following themes:  Strengthening media freedom, pluralism and informed citizenship, and increasing resilience of media actors.  

The Balkan Trust for Democracy (BTD) is announcing a Call for Proposals open to media associations, including membership associations, and civil society organizations active in the media sphere in Serbia (henceforth media actors). The Call will result in: 

  • Grants to media actors to improve citizens’ access to information of public importance via investigative journalism work. 

     

Background 

Recent legislative changes have introduced some improvements to the media framework, implementation of the laws remains very challenging. Deficiencies in the implementation of the new media laws will likely continue to make Serbia prone to media capture, i.e., deepening political influence and control over media, as well as the lack of a functioning media market, undermining media freedom and freedom of expression.  

Investigative journalism in Serbia faces significant challenges, including threats, intimidation, and low financial sustainability. Local level investigative journalists are particularly vulnerable. The rise of Strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), threatening the operation of independent media, is particularly pronounced in Serbia.​ The media environment is characterized by weak institutional responses to threats and attacks on journalists, and a lack of transparent media ownership.  

Through this program, the Balkan Trust for Democracy aims to support diversity, pluralism, transparency and public accountability in the media sphere. BTD plans to support investigative journalism in order to make available more diverse and high-quality information of public interest.  
 

Grants to media actors – Open Call for Proposals – conditions  

Through the Open Call for Proposals, The Balkan Trust for Democracy aims to support: 

  • Balanced, unbiased, nonpartisan investigative pieces of high-quality and social relevance 

    We are inviting eligible media actors interested in working on researching and publishing investigative journalism stories to send project proposals. The stories should have social relevance and address underreported themes and topics, with reference to access to rights. We particularly encourage collaborations with local-level investigative journalists and media actors.  

    Media actors with a demonstrated track record of investigative journalism work are eligible to apply.  

  • Eligible applicants:  

    Media associations, including membership associations, and civil society organizations registered and active in Serbia as non-profit entities working within the priorities of the Call.  

    Applicants are expected to substantiate their competence and track record working in the priority area of the Call, as well as to present a feasible plan of staff engagement for the duration of the project period.  

 

Eligible activities:

Investigative journalism 

Evidence and data collection, research, analysis, collaboration with media outlets and media actors (including local-level collaborations), production and preparation of investigative output for publishing. 

Legal screening of produced investigative content prior to publishing is mandatory under this Call for Proposals.  

Sub-granting is not an eligible activity under this Call for Proposals.   

Eligible costs:  

Human resource costs, operational costs (office costs, communications costs), communication costs, research costs, digital safety costs, costs for trainings, workshops and conferences, travel costs (locally and Serbia-wide), legal screening, production costs, visibility costs.  


The application process 

Duration of the Call: The Call will remain open until January 31, 2025. 

The maximum amount of funding per project proposal under this call is 27,000 EUR. 

Project duration is up to 10 months.  

All applicants will be evaluated on a competitive basis and notified of the decision.  

Project proposals must be submitted using the provided application forms, in English language only.  

The application documentation consists of the following mandatory documents:  

One organization may receive support for only one project proposal in response to this Call.  

The project proposal should clearly state the project idea, methodology used, target groups.  

Partnerships and joint applications are eligible under this Call.  

Any organization already receiving funding from the NMFA or SDC cannot receive funding through this call for the same type of activities in the same geographic area for the same period.  

Any support received from the NMFA or SDC during the project period must be clearly stated in the application.  

Applications must be sent via e-mail to: [email protected] with the subject line “Media Fund Serbia 2024, [name of organization].”  

Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration. The applicant will get an e-mail confirmation of receipt upon submission of complete application documentation. Do not send any additional documentation, it will not be opened or reviewed.  

Should you have any questions regarding the Call, please send an email to [email protected]  with the subject line “Media Fund Serbia 2024, [name of organization].” 


Evaluation criteria – Investigative journalism  

The final decision on awarded grants for investigative journalism will be guided by the following evaluation criteria:

Relevance 

The application should present strong argumentation on how investigative journalism topic and research will address the public interest and present its social relevance. The proposals should clearly identify the benefits for the targeted communities and the general public at large. Under-reported topics and originality will be given additional consideration.   

Management capacities  

Projects will be evaluated based on the capacities of the applicant to carry out the project, including financial management, human and organizational resources and expertise. The proposal should mention the lead investigative journalist/researcher (including key qualifications). 

Previous experience and track record  

Applicants need to demonstrate a track record regarding the publication of investigative pieces relevant to their application. 

Methodology  

Projects will be evaluated based on the presented methodology to be used. The methodology should include the planned investigative journalism techniques, potential interlocutors (wherever possible), types of data sources to be consulted and source verification methods. The proposal should present an implementation plan. The proposal’s feasibility within the given timeframe will be taken into consideration. 

Outreach plan  

Received application will be reviewed with reference to the planned media outlets chosen for publishing and the intended audience (estimated reach, impact). 

Types of media may include at least one print media, television, radio, or online media outlet (website). Social media may be used in addition to at least one of the above media types. 

The application should include an editorial letter from the chosen media outlet confirming intent to publish the investigative journalism content produced. 

Risk assessment  

Received applications will be reviewed with reference to the proposed measures for risk identification and mitigation at all stages of the project (i.e. research and data collection, source protection, publication, potential legal and safety implications). 

Legal screening of project outputs is a prerequisite under this Call for Proposals. 

Additional considerations 

Received applications will additionally be reviewed in light of addressing issues of gender equality, human rights and rights of sensitive or marginalized groups. Topics focusing on marginalized or local communities will also be given additional consideration. 

Local-level investigative journalism and collaborations/partnerships will be particularly considered. 

Media outlets and media actors with women in leadership positions in (women owners and women editors) will also be given particular consideration. 

Applicants must adhere to the Journalists’ Code of Ethics.