BRATISLAVA/PRAGUE - This investigation reveals how Ukranian women searching for accomodation are open to exploitation in online spaces.

A RAIA / LA RAYA – Spain and Portugal share their main rivers, a fact that has promoted diplomatic efforts for the joint management of common bodies of water. For the past 25 years, that relationship has been regulated by the Albufeira Convention. But as extreme droughts become more frequent and intense in the Iberian Peninsula, local populations and legislators alike are struggling to cope with the effects of water scarcity.

PRAGUE - Against all odds, local communities and researchers across Europe are acting to find solutions to PFAS contamination in their food and water.

ATHENS/FARO/AGRIGENTO – Wildfires in Europe have become more frequent and devastating. From lagging prevention and disaster response in Greece, to the mismanagement and legal loopholes that in Italy fuel arson, to the post-wildfire economy in Spain that impedes ecological restoration, to Portugal's paper industry that hinder fire management for its own financial gain, this investigation sheds light on the reasons behind these disasters. 

LARISSA / JAÉN / VASLUI - Farmers are already under immense pressure due to economic strains compounded by stringent EU regulations. Now, the intensifying impacts of climate change are exacerbating these challenges, leading to insomnia, anxiety, and depression among farmers.

BAKU/ RAVENNA/ L’AQUILA – Under the pretext of reducing reliance on Russian gas, Italy and the European Union have planned to double gas imports from Azerbaijan since 2022, even as dictator Ilham Aliyev tightens his authoritarian grip and increases investments in fossil fuels.

LONDON – With Europe reeling from heat waves and wildfires, the EU is backing projects to capture industrial emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a key pillar in its fight against climate change. But what if these multi-billion-euro schemes make the problem worse?

DELHI / BERLIN - India’s garment industry, valued at around 100 billion USD, employs 51 million people formally and another 68 million informally. As a key producer for Western nations and the second-largest textile exporter globally, the industry relies heavily on women, who make up over 70% of the workforce. However, women in this sector face significant harassment and exploitation in the workplace.

ODEMIRA / MESSINIA - Faced with poor water management, locals in Portugal, Greece and Romania struggle to keep their farmlands and financially survive, and often resort to extreme solutions to find usable water.

MONTEVIDEO - The world is made of paper and bought with paper:  How far can a company modify the present of a nation and influence its future with promises that never come?

KATOWICE / KARVINÁ – This cross-border investigative project compares the energy transition in Silesia and Karviná, the coal regions on the Czech and Polish border, with an emphasis on the implementation of the EU Just Transition Fund.

BONN/BUKAREST/BERN/AMSTERDAM/ATHENS – The future of our food supply is under threat as a high-stakes battle unfolds over seed control in the EU. This cross-border project investigated how companies exploit patent loopholes to demand and sometimes obtain patents from the EPO even on conventionally-bred plants, which are technically protected from patenting by both the EU and EPO laws.

TALLINN - The lack of regulation of the voluntary carbon market, together with the influx of capital, creates conditions for marketing of ineffective solutions, or even outright scams. This cross-border investigation looks at the exploitation of 'green' opportunities for personal gain — in Estonia, Lithuania and Italy. 

NAIROBI - For decades Kenya has been a purveyor of Olympic medals in distance running, and it will continue to be so at the Paris Games, but for the past decade or so it has also been clear that there is a strong smell of doping attached to the medals. Athletics is one of the most important economic sectors in Kenya and where there is money, there is cheating.

PARIS - An in-depth investigation of the We Report network looked in the cockpit of the privatised airplane industry. Behind the scenes, the polluting footprint of a few rich is infinite.

COVILHÃ /LES LANDES / HARZ - Forests are essential in the global fight against climate change, through their role as carbon sinks. But what happens when management choices are not made in the forest’s best interest?

AMSTERDAM/BRUSSELS/SOFIA - Adoption is often linked to poor countries in the global South. Yet Flanders and the Netherlands adopt children from other European countries, such as Bulgaria and Hungary. This cross-border research shows that Roma children in these countries face discrimination and fall into the adoption system due to stigma, poverty and lack of support for families. 

LADNUN / PADUA — This investigation documents that at least 100 Indians paid up to €20,000 to reach northern Italy, living in overcrowded old houses, and being exploited as warehouse workers by cooperatives serving large retailers.

LONDON – This is a cross-border investigation by five journalists into how the world’s most popular sport is creating a huge carbon footprint and relying on the fossil fuel industry in a never-ending search for more money and more fans.

MATINA - For over two decades, residents near banana plantations in Costa Rica have been exposed to pesticide sprays from planes, affecting their health and environment. Despite being banned in Europe, these chemicals are still exported to Global South for use in agriculture, where they are often used by major companies like Dole Food Company and Chiquita International.

KALIMANTAN – This investigation reveals how EU-banned pesticides are dumped in Indonesia, disrupting Borneo ecosystem, and communities’ livelihood.

LVIV / PODLASIE / BREST – investigation highlights the threats to the Western bug river from the perspective of three neighbouring countries through which it flows. Journalists uncovered large scale of pollution, missing shared policies, unfinished projects, brutal border protection infrastructure, and shrinking biodiversity.

VIGO/TARANTO - Extreme weather events made more frequent and intense by climate change — including marine heatwaves and torrential rain — are wreaking havoc on shellfish production across southern Europe, threatening the livelihoods and traditions that depend on this important sector.

CATANIA — Almost 1000 alien marine species, many dangerous and extremely invasive, are spreading quickly across the world’s fastest-warming sea, the Mediterranean.

MOKHOTLONG – This investigation focuses on the mining activities of Letseng Diamond Mine, a subsidiary of GEM-Diamonds, a diamond company based in Lesotho, Southern Africa that has been linked to water pollution in the area despite winning climate awards.

SWINOUJSCIE –  What are the implications of building a deep-sea container terminal on the German-Polish border in the middle of nature conservation areas? The investigation reveals that the environmental risks of this project are largely underestimated. 

LONDON - The four largest tobacco companies have invested billions of dollars into companies that produce medicines or medical products.

EUROPE - A cross-border team of 8 journalists confirmed 1,015 unmarked graves of migrants in 65 cemeteries buried over the last 10 years across Spain, Italy, Greece, Malta, Poland, Lithuania, France, and Croatia.

BRUSSELS - 142 million pigs, 76 million bovine heads, 62 million sheep, and 12 million goats: the invisible yearly population of farmed animals that live and die on the production line in Europe. Industrial livestock farming across Europe is causing widespread environmental degradation. People living in close proximity to factory farms experience serious health consequences.

PARIS / BRUSSELS / MADRID – Groundwater is the ecosystem Europe has always been able to rely on, and grew to consider an infinite resource. This cross-border investigation reveals that the current state of matters is dire: our water is disappearing and what remains is facing near-irreversible pollution.

TUNIS - Over the 2023, Tunisia has become the main crossing point for refugees and asylum seekers on their way to Europe.

KATOWICE – This investigation looks at challenges and solutions of methane emissions reduction in Europe. Is it feasible, for example, to replace coking coal, a critical yet hard-to-replace resource for the steel industry? 

GAFSA – Phosphate rocks, rich in phosphorus, are the basis for most fertilisers. With growing demand for food worldwide and a growing need for fertilizers, phosphates are quickly becoming one of the most disputed minerals. One of the crucial phosphate basins is located in southern Tunisia, and the EU growing fertilisers market is drying up the area.

BRUSSELS – The link between agriculture and nature is a contested arena in Europe. Over the past decades, the European Union has become one of the leading producers and exporters of agricultural products in the world. But this has come at a great cost for Europe’s ecosystems.

# Financial support
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# Projects supported
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# Grantees
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Grants 

European Cross-border Grants

With the award-winning European Cross-Border Grant programme, Journalismfund Europe supports (since 2009) professional journalists and independent media outlets who have good ideas for cross-border investigations and for research on European topics.

The next application deadline is (CET):

Professional Development for Environmental Journalism

This grant programme is open for organisations with project proposals for collective development and support services to build the capacities of environmental investigative journalists.

The next application deadline is (CET):

Environmental Investigative Journalism

This grant programme supports cross-border teams of professional journalists and/or news outlets to conduct investigations into environmental affairs related to Europe (all the countries, not only EU members).

The next application deadline is (CET):

News

Scholarships for grantees

To enable investigative journalists to share their experience and knowledge with colleagues at conferences, trainings, webinars and other available journalistic events, Journalismfund Europe provides scholarships for its grantees.

Watch the discussion at #NR24 conference (in German)

Marco Cavallo

Grantee Received A Book Deal

2024-09-12

TRIESTE - An investigation supported by Journalismfund Europe — via the Local Cross-border grant programme — has received a book deal to be published in 2025.

The Pickers: Documentary Screening About Nepalis Migrating to Europe

2024-08-28

KATHMANDU - Nepal’s leading think tanks Social Science Baha and Martin Chautari jointly organized the screening of the cross-border documentary The Pickers in Kathmandu on Wednesday (21st August). Despite the heavy rainis, more than 30 people, which included students, filmmakers, journalists, migrant rights activists and migration researchers came to watch the film.

Pre-application sessions for potential applicants - grants journalists

Questions? In-house assistance to prepare your application

2024-08-23

BRUSSELS - Let us walk you through your application to increase your chances of getting funded.

Agenda

24Sep
Workshop

Cross-border projects bring unique challenges. This workshop is designed not only for team leaders but also for any journalist who wishes to develop the necessary skills to manage and contribute effectively to collaborative international efforts.

Online
27Sep
28Sep
Conference

This pivotal gathering in the form of 'unconference' may well redefine the landscape of European journalism. It will be based on the 'All teach, all learn' concept, as well as on work in small groups and collective reflecting.

Prague (Czechia)
3Oct
5Oct
Conference

With the b° future festival, the Bonn Institute brings together all those who are committed to future-oriented journalism that is beneficial for society: critical, constructive, and geared towards the needs of the diverse people in our societies.

Bonn (Germany)