Call for Applications: Freelancer Support Scheme 2025

The scheme is designed to support journalists operating outside of newsroom structures who may be underserved by other journalism support schemes and who are willing and able to collaborate with others to launch investigations of importance to audiences at a local, national, regional or European level.

Topics

• IJ4EU is open to cross-border investigative projects on any topic. This includes, but is not limited to, corruption, illicit enrichment and financial crime, security, democracy and human rights, environment and climate change, and health. Projects must aim to reveal new information that is of relevance to the public in at least two Creative Europe countries.

Funding Information

• The Freelancer Support Scheme offers grants of up to €20,000, plus bespoke mentoring and support throughout the lifecycle of the project.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible for the Freelancer Support Scheme, applications must be submitted by teams composed of at least two freelance journalists that meet the following criteria:
  • Teams must have members based in at least two European countries that have signed up to the full cross-sectoral strand of the European Union’s Creative Europe Programme, which provides core funding for IJ4EU.
  • Eligible countries include all 27 EU member states and the following non-EU countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Ukraine.
  • Eligibility is based on residency (where you live and work) and not nationality (citizenship).
  • Team members based in countries anywhere else in the world are welcome to take part, but they must be part of teams that fulfil the core geographical criteria described above. In other words, they must be part of teams with members based in at least two participating Creative Europe countries in Europe.
  • Investigations developed for all formats including print, broadcast, online media, documentary filmmaking and multi-platform storytelling are eligible to receive support.
  • Applications must justify the relevance of the investigation to the public interest in the eligible countries targeted by the investigation, or to the broader European public sphere. Applicants need to be able to demonstrate relevant qualifications or a history of working with trusted news organisations.
  • Applications must be submitted in English.

Ineligibility Criteria

• Projects that receive support from IJ4EU’s Investigation Support Scheme will not be eligible for the Freelancer Support Scheme.

Evaluation Criteria

• The jury’s decision takes account of, but not necessarily confines itself to, the following criteria:
  • Cross-border relevance
  • Relevance of the topic to European and local public
  • Newsworthiness and added value
  • Strength of research and publication plan
  • Expected impact and/or reach of the project
  • Feasibility of project within project timeline and budget
  • Applicants’ experience and journalistic credentials
  • Adequate risk assessment
  • The urgency of financial need or other assistance

Application Requirements

• Applicants are required to provide in the application form information about their project and the team working on it, including:
  • A brief description of the proposed project, topic and the objective(s) of the investigation, highlighting its cross-border relevance, public relevance and what new knowledge and information it will provide;
  • A publication plan, describing the expected timeline for the investigation and the media outlets or platforms in which the project will be published, and the expected publication date(s);
  • The main risks associated with completing the project and how the team plans to mitigate against these risks. Applicants are encouraged to use this risk assessment template.
  • A budget (in EUR). The budget should be based on this model budget. The budget does not need to specify in detail items that need to remain confidential during an investigation.

For more information, visit IJ4EU.