In many parts of Europe, local and independent media are under financial and political pressure, leaving communities without reliable public-interest news. SM4D will focus on outlets in news deserts and in areas where media pluralism is under strain, enabling them to strengthen their operations and produce more high-quality journalism for their communities.
The programme builds on the experience of three EU-funded initiatives: Local Media for Democracy (LM4D), Pluralistic Media for Democracy (PM4D) and the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI).
Funding combined with tailored support
Selected outlets will each receive between €5,000 and €60,000 in direct financial support, from a total fund of €1,625,000. Media based in the EU27, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia are eligible.
The funding, managed by Journalismfund Europe, comes with a tailored capacity-building and peer-learning programme, led by International Media Support. It covers AI and new technologies, content and audience strategies, business models, innovation and access to new sources of capital. Participants will learn from each other's experience and work together on practical solutions to shared challenges.
'Local journalism is the foundation on which trust in the news is built, community by community.’ Our experience with LM4D and PM4D has shown us that funding is most effective when combined with business innovation and external expertise. SM4D builds on this approach and gives local media the recognition they deserve." — Ides Debruyne, managing director, Journalismfund Europe
Building trust through journalism standards
In parallel, media outlets that took part in LM4D and PM4D will work with the Journalism Trust Initiative, developed by RSF. Through group sessions and individual guidance, they will review their editorial processes against the JTI standard for ethical, high-quality journalism. They can then publish JTI transparency reports to show their audiences how they work.
Around ten of these outlets are expected to go on to full JTI certification through an external assessment.
Sharing knowledge across borders
SM4D will publish openly available knowledge resources, connect participating media across countries and work with other initiatives on media sustainability and pluralism.
A highlight will be the Media for Democracy Summit. This solution-oriented event will bring together media organisations and other stakeholders to discuss current and future challenges and identify practical ways to support Europe's independent media.
“Independent journalism cannot strengthen democracy if the media producing it cannot survive. With SM4D, we want to move beyond financial support and help public-interest media build the resilience, audiences, and sustainable and innovative models they need for the future.” — Gulnara Akhundova, Regional Director for Europe department, International Media Support
How to apply
Two calls for proposals will open in December 2026, inviting applications from local and regional outlets, community media, investigative journalism organisations and public-interest news organisations in areas where media pluralism is under strain. Full eligibility criteria will be published with the calls in December.
An introductory webinar on the SM4D fund and its capacity-building and mentorship programme will take place on Wednesday 2 December 2026 at 14:00 CET.
The project is co-funded by the European Commission (Creative Europe) and Limelight Foundation. It will start on 1 November 2026 for 24 months. Two calls for proposals will be published in December 2026 for local and regional outlets, community media, investigative journalism, and public interest news organisations located in areas where media pluralism is strained to apply.
“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.”
