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CALL FOR GRANTS TO LOCAL AND REGIONAL MEDIA IN SERBIA FOR BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT AND/OR ACTIVE CITIZEN REPORTING (DEADLINE: JULY 19, 2020)

30. June 2020.

The “Media for All” project (Support for Greater Media Independence in the Western Balkans) invites local and regional media to apply for grants.

This regional project is being implemented in the Western Balkans by a consortium led by the British Council in partnership with the Balkan Research Network (BIRN), the Thomson Foundation and the INTRAC (International NGO “Training and Research Center”), and is funded by the British Government through the British Embassy in Serbia.

The project issued two separate calls for applications for grants for:

1. Business Improvement,

2. Active Citizen Reporting.

The media can apply to one or both calls depending on their needs and the capacity to carry out activities simultaneously.

The call for business improvement grants aims to support local and regional independent media in Serbia to move closer to financial sustainability by improving their business and organizational capacity. In order to apply for a business improvement grant, interested media must submit their business idea and indicative budget. Successful applicants will receive two months of technical assistance to develop a business idea into a business plan and budget. Upon successful completion of the technical assistance phase, the selected applicants will be awarded a grant to implement the business plan. The proposed grant amount for the implementation of a business idea must be between £ 10,000 and £ 25,000. The period of implementation of the business plan cannot be longer than 12 (twelve) months. The application form and the documents necessary for the Call for Business Improvement are available for downloading at the bottom of the text.

The call for grants for active citizen reporting aims to support local and regional independent media in Serbia to be more audience-oriented by strengthening the relationship between citizens and the media through using the software application "Active Citizen Reporting". Grant beneficiaries will receive this application to enable their audience to suggest topics, submit testimonies, documents and evidence, with the aim of involving citizens in the production of media contents even before they are published.  Grant beneficiaries will receive the training in using the application, as well as editorial support and mentoring during the project implementation. Grants requested under this call must be between £ 7,500 and £ 15,000. The duration of the project is a total of 9 (nine) months, including the placement of the application on the websites of grant beneficiaries and the training on its usage. The application form and the documents necessary for the Call for Active Citizen Reporting are available for downloading at the bottom of the text.

Only the media registered with the Business Registers Agency (APR) in Serbia can apply to the call. The media outlet or the legal entity that owns the media outlet must be registered in Serbia before January 1, 2018.

During the selection procedure, in addition to the quality of the proposal and the capacity of the applicant to implement the proposal, the proven commitment of the media outlet to adhere to the Law and respect the Code of Ethics for Journalists of Serbia shall be taken into account. Decisions of the Council of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) and the Appeals Commission of the Press Council will also be taken into account, as well as executive court rulings, especially those relating to hate speech, discrimination, rights of minors and minorities, privacy protection and presumptions of innocence.

The project encourages the media operating in less developed communities and/or founded or managed by less represented groups (such as minorities, youth and others) to apply to the call.

• Application forms must be filled in in English

• The deadline for submitting applications for both calls is July 19, 2020

• The dates and times of the online info sessions will be announced later on.  

Further information on the call, the application form and the accompanying documentation are available on https://www.britishcouncil.rs/programmes/education/media/call-bd-and-ecr-grants

Source: British Council and Coordination Body