The Nordic Council of Ministers announces a call for the Media Grants Program for Belarus 2023, which aims on strengthening the democracy and civil society in the country through the support of independent media. This program focuses on the creation of trustful media content on the actual life in Belarus, addressing human rights situations, such as freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, rule of law and other standards of democracy and civil society.
Belarusian independent media is increasingly persecuted by the authorities following the 2020 Belarusian presidential elections.
According to the 2022 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders, Belarus was Europe’s most dangerous country for journalists until Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Most Belarusian independent media outlets are now either operating from outside the county or have been forced to cease publishing. Under these circumstances, independent Belarusian media – as entities and as individual journalists, who lost their jobs, working equipment, left the country, etc. – critically need financial, technical, and other capacity-building support.
The overall goal of the Media Grants Program is to support Belarusian independent journalism and media arts initiatives and facilitate the production of high-quality, trustworthy and diverse content for Belarusian people on the developments in the country.
Applications can be submitted by Belarusian independent media outlets, Belarusian journalists, Belarusian creators of visual, artistic, and interdisciplinary media content and non-Belarusian media outlets, which employ or contract Belarusian journalists, and produce content on the situation in Belarus.
Deadline: 6 November 2022 (latest at 23:59 CET).
The size of a grant can range from 5.000 EUR to a maximum of 30.000 EUR. The total sum available for grants is approximately 250.000 EUR for 2023.
The maximum duration of the submitted project – 12 months.
Applications should be submitted to mediagrantsbelarus@norden.lt
For more information please visit the official website of the Program: www.nordicmediagrantsbelarus.org
The grant is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers, Norwegian Embassy in Lithuania, which is side accredited to the Republic of Belarus. The grant is administrated by the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania.
