Ukraine: Small Grants for Investigative Reporting Projects

The Institute for War and Peace Reporting is now inviting applications from journalists for its Small Grants for Investigative Reporting Projects.

The aim of the call for applications is to provide Ukraine journalists with the skills, knowledge and financial support to produce collaborative investigative reports that provide audiences and decision-makers with objective, credible information about the situation facing media professionals in Ukraine, including abuses faced.

Publications and events will target the general public, the wider media community, and international stakeholders to raise awareness and support for greater protections for journalists, and ultimately contribute to improvements in the enabling environment within which journalists can exercise their professions.

The project will provide training and financial and editorial support for 16 Ukrainian journalists to conduct investigative reporting that documents violations of journalists’ rights in Ukraine. The 16 journalists will team up (typically two journalists per report) to complete up to 8 collaborative investigative reports; They will accept investigative reporting proposals related to violations of rights and attacks on the media working in Ukraine.

The call is part of the project protecting the Frontline (PF), a new IWPR initiative supported by UNESCO’s Global Media Defense Fund (GMDF). PF builds on IWPR’s ongoing programming in Ukraine focused on strengthening the capacity of Ukrainian journalists to safely, effectively and professionally report from the frontlines to increase audience access to balanced, independent information. The theme for the project is building resilience and enhancing media freedom to create a safer environment for journalists.

IWPR will provide in-person training sessions December 16-17, 2022 in Kyiv (subject to security conditions) on related subjects, including safety and security in high-risk areas, covering the courts, and legal rights and protections for journalists under Ukrainian and international law. Online trainings planned include trauma-informed reporting, digital security, and managing online harassment. Journalists must attend the trainings to be eligible for funding for the investigative reports.

IWPR also will host events where journalists will present their investigative findings and share their experiences with local and international stakeholders.

Funding Amount and Duration

• Funding amount is up to USD $1,000 per 2-person team for desk review/OSINT investigative reporting; up to USD $2,000 for investigative reporting that includes field work (e.g., travel to regions to interview sources, site visits, court coverage, document access, etc.);

• Journalists must complete the offered trainings, including the in-person training planned for December 16-17, 2022, to be eligible for funding;

• The project duration is two months (February 14, 2023). IWPR expects to fund 8 collaborative reports. Grants are intended to cover the fees for journalists and expenses such as travel, and other costs directly related to the delivery of the investigative project output. The grant does not cover costs for the purchase of equipment and overhead.