2024-10-08

BRUSSELS - The new grant programme Microgrants for Small Newsrooms is launched today; a media funding scheme that will distribute a sub-grant of up to €5,000 and expert mentoring to two cohorts of newsrooms which will allow small and medium-sized news outlets to implement new tactics and skills to build resilience and viability.

Microgrants for Small Newsrooms is part of the ongoing PluPro project. This Design Learning Track of the Plupro project, together with a series of newsroom trainings, aims to build capacity of small news outlets and allow them to test new tactics and skills to build audience trust and increase resilience. It aims to encourage a culture of innovation at the local level by introducing media personnel to a design-learning approach focused on audience research, prototyping, and testing new products and services.

Who can apply?

Small- and medium-sized, local, and independent media outlets (legal entities) in EU member states and participating countries in the Creative Europe Programme, with a particular emphasis on countries with a medium- or high-risk rating according to the Media Pluralism Monitor

What does that entail?

The newsrooms will receive a subgrant of up to €5,000 and expert mentoring to pilot new products or services. Grants, for example, could allow newsrooms to commission in-depth audience research for the first time, create a new editorial offering for a new set of users, redesign a website to display trust-building information about the editorial process, or experiment with new methods for covering particularly polarising topics. That list is not exhaustive, and we welcome many other topics.

When is it possible to apply? 

The first deadline is on 17 December 2024 and the second deadline is on 3 April 2025. 

Application process, who can apply and the selection criteria can be found on our website here. Practical support and online consultative sessions will be provided to potential applicants during the pre-application phase. 

What is Design Learning?

Design learning is a human-centered, iterative, collaborative approach to problem solving and innovation. Design thinking helps you step into the shoes of your audience, redefine the
problem, and come up with innovative solutions, experiment and refine. It fosters creativity, encourages quick prototyping, allowing you to test ideas without huge
investments of time or money and it is versatile -can be applied to crafting content, new format, products, or business models that deeply resonate.

Watch the Introductory Webinar on the Design Learning Track.

Apply for the Design Learning Workshop organised by Transitions in Sarajevo on 25-26 October.

The PluPro project is a 24-month project co-funded by the European Union, Vereniging Veronica and Limelight Foundations and implemented by the consortium of Journalismfund Europe and Transitions.
For more information about the #PluPro project, click here

Apply here!