Newsrooms and freelancers eligible for funding and support
Deadline for applications: April 13
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IPI’s Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU) programme has opened two new calls for proposals, offering funding for ambitious cross-border collaborations on stories of public interest.
The calls, launched on February 12, cover two separate funding schemes.
Under the Investigation Support Scheme, journalistic teams of any configuration — including newsrooms, specialist investigative outlets and/or freelancers — can apply for grants of up to €50,000 to pursue transnational reporting projects.
IJ4EU’s parallel Freelancer Support Scheme offers grants of up to €20,000 to teams made up predominantly of freelance journalists, alongside additional mentoring and training.
Applications for both schemes close nine weeks after the launch of the call, on April 13 at 23:59 CET.
A further call for both schemes will open in December 2026. More details are available in the grants and frequently asked questions sections of the IJ4EU website. Applicants can sign up to the IJ4EU newsletter for updates.
For the 2026/27 edition of the programme, the IJ4EU fund will distribute €1.6 million in grants to support cross-border investigative journalism as a public good. Around €1.2 million will be disbursed through the Investigation Support Scheme and €400,000 through the Freelancer Support Scheme.
A public good
As threats to media pluralism multiply, IJ4EU supports investigative reporting as a public good in the European Union and neighbouring countries.
To date, IJ4EU has disbursed more than €6 million in grants to cross-border investigations spanning an exceptionally wide range of topics, enabling hundreds of journalists to scrutinise issues affecting tens of millions of people across Europe and beyond.
Information on previously funded investigations is available in the projects section of the IJ4EU website.
See past projects here
The programme is managed by a consortium of three organisations: the International Press Institute (IPI), which leads the consortium and runs the Investigation Support Scheme; the European Journalism Centre (EJC), which manages the Freelancer Support Scheme; and the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), which runs IJ4EU’s annual UNCOVERED Conference and Impact Awards.
Arena for Journalism in Europe (Arena) also contributes specialist tools and technical expertise.
IJ4EU is co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Commission and receives additional support from foundations including Fritt Ord, Adessium Foundation and Veronica Foundation.
The programme maintains full independence from donors in the selection of projects and guarantees the editorial independence of all grantees. IJ4EU’s model has been hailed as a gold standard for donor-funded media without strings.
Eligibility and scope
Both funding schemes share the same geographical eligibility criteria. Applications must be submitted by teams including journalists based in at least two European countries that participate in the full cross-sectoral strand of the Creative Europe Programme.
Eligible countries include all 27 EU member states as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Ukraine. Eligibility is determined by residency rather than nationality.
Projects must address topics of cross-border relevance, although investigations on any subject are eligible.
The Freelancer Support Scheme is designed for teams whose members operate mainly outside newsroom structures and combines funding with tailored mentoring and training.
The Investigation Support Scheme is open to teams of any configuration that primarily require financial support to conduct their investigations.
Support and costs
Both schemes provide access to practical assistance where needed, including legal aid and digital security training to help manage real-world risks; tools designed for secure cross-border collaboration; and opportunities for peer-to-peer learning.
Teams working in all media formats — including print, broadcast, online, documentary film, podcasting and multi-platform storytelling — are eligible, provided projects are intended for publication by media outlets in at least two countries.
IJ4EU grants may be used to cover most costs linked to producing journalistic content, including salary and human resource costs for employed and freelance journalists, research expenses, travel, translation and administrative costs.
Funding decisions under both schemes are made by independent juries composed of senior editors and veteran investigative journalists. Further information on the selection process and criteria is available on the IJ4EU website.
Improve your chances
Prospective applicants can join an information webinar on February 23 at 13:00 CET to learn more about the programme and ask questions. Register to attend.
IJ4EU Info webinar
You can also join an online Cross-Border Investigative Masterclass on March 3 at 13:00-15:30 CET. Run by Arena for Journalism in Europe, the two-and-a-half-hour session is aimed at helping journalists develop investigative work plans and strengthen grant applications. Register here.
IJ4EU Masterclassr
Arena also provides “matchmaking assistance” for journalists seeking collaboration partners in other countries. Fill in this form to make a confidential request. Your answers to the questions help us to find potential collaborators, depending on the country or topic(s) you are interested in. The more people who sign up, the better the chances of finding matches. (This is a small, experimental database, so we can’t guarantee that you will find a partner.)
Next steps?
- Sign up for the IJ4EU newsletter.
- Read our frequently asked questions.
- Register for an info webinar on Monday, February 23 at 13:00 CET
- Register to attend a free Cross-Border Investigative Masterclass on Tuesday, March 3 from 13:00 – 15:30 CET.
- Apply for a grant via our secure portal.
Questions?
We encourage interested applicants to visit the IJ4EU website and our FAQ page before applying. If you still have questions, feel free to get in touch with us.
Contacts
General questions or questions related to the Investigation Support Scheme: Milica Miletic, IJ4EU project coordinator, at IPI (grants[at]ipi.media).
Questions related to the Freelancer Support Scheme: Zlatina Siderova, EJC programme lead (siderova[at]ejc.net).
Questions related to the Cross-Border Investigative Masterclass and “matchmaking assistance”: Jonathan Stoneman, Arena Academy coordinator (jonathan[at]journalismarena.eu)