European Cross-border Grants: fifteen years of supporting investigative journalism across borders
The idea of a European fund was first discussed in 2003. In February 2009 the first call opened under the name European Fund for Investigative Journalism, with seed funding from the Fritt Ord Foundation, soon followed by the Open Society Foundations. The first supported investigation, ‘Fields of Terror’ (January 2010), was carried out by Adrian Mogoş, Petru Zoltan and Doru Cobuz (Romania), Vitalie Călugăreanu (Moldova) and Vlad Lavrov (Ukraine). It exposed how workers from Eastern Europe were trafficked into forced labour on asparagus farms in the Czech Republic, and later won the CEI–SEEMO Award for Outstanding Merits in Investigative Journalism. In 2013 the organisation became Journalismfund.eu and the programme took its current name. The Adessium Foundation became a structural partner from 2013 onwards, alongside the Open Society Foundations.
The programme grew steadily: from €29,430 for six teams in 2009 to €232,880 for 21 projects in 2022. Between 2009 and 2023, more than €1.7 million went to 214 cross-border investigations. In 2021–2023 the programme was supported by a broad group of donors, including the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Porticus, the Adessium Foundation, the Limelight Foundation, Vereniging Veronica, the Fondation Nicolas Puech, the King Baudouin Foundation, the Fritt Ord Foundation and the Open Society Foundations.
After years of advocating for European support for independent journalism, the programme has been co-funded by the EU’s Creative Europe programme since 2022. A local strand, which grew out of a pilot funded by Porticus in 2020, started as Cross-border Local (2022–2024, co-funded by the Adessium Foundation) and continued as European Local Cross-border Grants. In 2024–2025, both the European and the local cross-border grants were co-funded by the European Union, the Limelight Foundation and Vereniging Veronica, and together awarded €2.1 million to 127 teams. Throughout, the grant programme itself has remained fully in the hands of Journalismfund Europe, the name the organisation has carried since 2023.
Today the programme continues as Expert-Reviewed Journalism (2026–2027), in partnership with the SSE Riga Centre for Media Studies and co-funded by Creative Europe, the Limelight Foundaton and Stichting Veronica. It makes €1.68 million available for cross-border investigations, and teams can work with project advisers and subject-matter experts.
A new approach: Expert-reviewed journalism
We introduce a new component to our grant programme: expert-reviewed journalism. For journalists who’d like to take a more scientific and methodical approach to their investigations and thus strengthen their investigations, the European Cross-border Grants programme now offers them the possibility to work with subject-matter experts.
This new support comes in the form of Project Advisors and Experts, who will work closely with grantees throughout their project. Project Advisors will help teams to connect with relevant experts and act as a mediator between journalists and experts. Project advisors will be chosen among a pool of advisors compiled by our project partner SSE Riga. Experts will be selected by the journalistic team, with support from the Project Advisor, based on their expertise in the topic of the investigation. Please see the grant rules for more detail.
Watch the Introductory Webinar
Why this matters?
This new setup ensures that cross-border teams receive targeted, professional support, helping them:
- Access the right expertise
- Improve investigative depth and accuracy
- Increase the overall quality and impact of their journalism
In short, the programme now goes beyond funding alone — offering hands-on guidance and expert knowledge to support ambitious cross-border investigations.
Thematic focus
All themes are acceptable for this grant. The investigation proposal must clearly present a collaborative cross-border journalism investigation with a subject that focuses on at least two countries.
Running since 2019, this grant programme has supported more than 700 cross-border investigations. You can find them here (please use the filter on the left to check if investigations on certain themes had already received funding).
Building a team and a successful collaboration
We have some tips on how to find investigative journalists in other countries to team up with, as well as some important advice from from former grantees and other experts on making investigative collaboration successful. Find them here.
Grant application portal & rules
To see all the details about the eligibility and assessment criteria, project advisors and experts, timing, jury and grant conditions, visit our application portal.
- Expert-reviewed European Cross-border Grants grant rules and eligibility criteria
- Journalismfund Europe's General Grant Rules
Please be advised that if any details (such as full addresses) or documents (IDs, CVs, articles of incorporation) are missing when your application is submitted, it will be considered INELIGIBLE.
Need help?
We are interested to hear your ideas and to assist you with any questions. Please do not hesitate to contact us via:
- Schedule a pre-application video call with a project coordinator
- Telephone: +32 2 705 59 19
- Mail: expjou@journalismfund.eu
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
