As part of its Voices of Ukraine Programme, ECPMF offers a total of €50,000 in grants to support regional, local, and hyperlocal media outlets* located near Ukraine’s frontlines funding training programs that enhance journalistic quality and resilience. You can submit your proposals until 23 March 2025.
*Note: the grant can also be used for training individual members of the editorial team (for example, an SMM course for a social media specialist).
Voices of Ukraine is the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom’s (ECPMF) programme to support Ukrainian journalists, offering assistance in eight areas and implemented in collaboration with six other organisations. We provide emergency grants for media and journalists, short-term and long-term residencies, equipment support, insurance for journalists on the front lines, special support for female journalists, as well as training grants and publication support.
Training grants by the ECPMF are implemented within the framework of the Voices of Ukraine support programme. The programme is part of the Hannah Arendt Initiative and is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.
Who Can Apply:
- Independent Ukrainian media.
Priority will be given to regional, local, and hyperlocal media outlets, with a particular focus on regional media from the regions most affected by the hostilities, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Poltava and Odesa.
- Priority will be given to outlets that focus on:
- Coverage of the ongoing war.
- Counteracting Russian propaganda and disinformation.
Eligible Activities for Funding:
- The training programmes must take place before 30 May 2025.
- The training programmes must target primarily media workers affiliated with the applying media outlet. Eligible topics include, but are not limited to:
- Mental health
- Physical safety
- Digital security
- Journalistic and editorial skills enhancement
- Capacity building aimed at improving journalistic quality and the overall strength of the outlet
Grant Amount
Up to €5,000 per training program
Application Submission
- Applicants must submit a proposal form outlining
- Basic information about the applying outlet
- The purpose of the grant outlining the clear objectives of the training and its expected impact.
- The relevance of the planned training to the challenges of reporting from the frontline regions.
- Detailed budget, including a breakdown of costs for the proposed training.
Selection Process
After an initial screening for eligibility, an evaluation process will be conducted by ECPMF with the assistance of the Voices of Ukraine Programme partners according to the following criteria:
- Urgency (high importance): How critical and time-sensitive the training is in addressing immediate needs of journalists in frontline or high-risk areas.
- Relevance to Challenges (high importance): How well the proposal addresses the specific needs of journalists.
- Feasibility (high importance): Practicality and realism of the proposed budget and implementation plan.
- Impact Potential (medium importance): The potential of the training to improve journalistic quality and resilience.
- Sustainability (medium importance): Long-term benefits of the proposed training to ensure lasting impact.
Communication of Results
Successful applicants will be notified within 15 days after the proposal deadline.
Disbursement of Funds
- Memorandum of Understanding (MoU):
- Selected applicants will sign an MoU that outlines the terms and conditions of the grant, including reporting requirements.
- Payment Schedule:
- The grant will be disbursed in two installments:
- First Instalment: 50% of the total grant within 2 weeks upon signing the MoU.
- The grant will be disbursed in two installments:
Second Instalment: 50% of the total grant after successful completion of the training and submission of the report.
Reporting Requirements
Final Report
A comprehensive report detailing the training outcomes, financial expenditure, and impact must be submitted to ECPMF by 15 June 2025.