Audience-Engaged Journalism Grants

Reach your audience in new ways

Media outlets from ten Balkan and Visegrad countries are invited to apply for grants, training, mentoring and access to BIRN’s audience-engagement digital tool through the first call for Audience-Engaged Journalism Grants.

Apply by October 12, 2026
Info Session | September 7 | 14:00 CEST

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) calls on media outlets to involve their audiences in reporting by applying for Audience-Engaged Journalism Grants.

This innovative approach places the audience as a direct and active participant in content creation, fostering trust and stronger relationships between media outlets and their communities, ultimately making them more credible and reliable sources of information.

 

Why audience-engaged journalism?

BIRN’s digital engagement tool enables journalists to gather insights directly from communities, involve audiences throughout the reporting process and analyse crowdsourced information.

By working with their communities, media outlets can identify overlooked problems, improve trust and credibility and produce stories that respond more directly to citizens’ needs. Previous audience-engaged stories supported by BIRN have received national and international awards, generated wider media coverage and contributed to concrete action by citizens and public officials.

Supported stories may be produced in text, audio, video or multimedia formats. Grantees will also be expected to promote their reporting, encourage citizens to suggest topics and participate in investigations and introduce the BE Engaged tool to their audiences.

Stories produced during previous editions include:

  1. ‘A State-Backed Social Disease’: How Gambling Flourishes in Serbia and Bosnia
  2. ‘Smile More’: Women Still Judged by Looks in North Macedonia’s Job Market
  3. I’ll destroy your life: Dating Apps Threats Facing Gay Men in Serbia
  4. Prostitution and Drug Abuse: How Hungary Is Failing the Children in its Care
  5. ‘Tragicomic’: Ex-Political Prisoners in Albania Still Awaiting Compensation

What are we offering?

  1. Individual grants of up to €4,700 for stories addressing national, regional or local issues.
  2. Cross-border grants of up to €9,400 for at least two media outlets working together on a topic relevant to audiences in Balkan and Visegrad countries.
  3. A four-day online training programme on audience-engaged journalism and the use of the BE Engaged tool.
  4. On-the-job mentoring throughout the project.
  5. Access to BIRN’s BE Engaged digital tool for crowdsourcing, collecting and analysing information from communities.

Under this call, BIRN will award up to four individual grants and up to two cross-border grants.

Selected media outlets are expected to begin implementing their projects on December 1st, 2026.

Projects may last for up to eight months, and all activities must be completed by July 31st, 2027.

Who is eligible to apply?

  • Media outlets from the following 10 Balkan and Visegrad countries may apply: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia and Slovakia.
  • Legally registered media organisations from the following ten countries may apply:
  • Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to independent, high-quality public-interest journalism and propose an investigative or in-depth story that directly engages the community concerned.
  • Proposals that involve underrepresented communities, including women, young people, national and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ people and other marginalised or underreported groups are particularly encouraged.
  • Applicants must be registered as legal entities on or before January 1, 2024.

How to apply?

To learn more about the grants, eligibility requirements, application procedure and evaluation process, read the full Call for Application by clicking here.

After reviewing the call, access the online application form by following this link here.

Applications must be completed in English and must reflect the applicant’s own original work.

Applicants must also submit the required supporting documents, including a financial proposal, relevant financial and registration documents and certificates specified in the call. The financial proposal form can be downloaded here.

The Audience Engaged Journalism Grants Cohort:

➤ 2025 programme cycle 

  • Kosovo 2.0, Kosovo
  • Atlatszo, Hungary
  • Lice v Lice, North Macedonia
  • Koha, North Macedonia
  • Zoomer, Serbia

➤ previous programme cycle

  • Fondacioni Kujto (Two-Time Grantee), Albania
  • Mjedisi.al, Albania
  • Elbasanion, Albania
  • Amfora, Albania
  • Capital.ba, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • UPS Media, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Radio Zos, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Radio Zenit, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Fokus (Two-Time Grantee), Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Info Radar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Samizdat, Czech Republic
  • Romea, Czech Republic
  • Atlatszo, Hungary
  • Borsod 24, Hungary
  • Kosovo 2.0, Kosovo
  • Enigma Gazeta, Kosovo
  • Roditelji, Montenegro
  • Lice v Lice, North Macedonia
  • TV Kanal Vis, North Macedonia

➤ previous programme cycle

  • TRN, North Macedonia
  • Koha, North Macedonia
  • Suboticke, Serbia
  • Oko Info, Serbia
  • Radio Kiss, Serbia
  • Jugpress, Serbia
  • Zoomer, Serbia
For further updates, follow BIRN on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
For clarifications, contact the Project Coordinator: [email protected].