Конкурс грантів на виробництво медіа контенту в Україні

Strengthening Independent Media: Ukraine Content Production Grants 

Request for Application #01 (RFA-01) 

1.0 Summary Data 

1.1 Funder: Internews  

1.2 Funder Project Name: Strengthening Independent Media (SIM) 

1.3 Application Submission Deadline: 17.04.2026, 12:00 Kyiv time zone   

2.0 Program Overview 

2.1 Project Goal: 

The goal of Internews’ activities under this project is to strengthen the ability of independent media to counter Russian disinformation by ensuring citizens’ sustained access to relevant, trusted, and timely information.   

2.2 Overall Project Description:   

The SIM project is designed to support the survival and stabilization of independent media, strengthen their capacity, improve the quality of their reporting, and support media outlets in delivering trusted, evidence-based news and information. Activities are taking place in the Baltics, Moldova, Poland, and Ukraine. The project will support media outlets and information providers that people in these countries rely on through grants, on-demand technical expertise, and emergency support. Strategic investments in technology will help select newsrooms work more efficiently, become better connected to the information needs of the communities they serve, and adjust to rapidly changing information consumption trends.  

2.3 Scope of Activities: 

Massive changes in technology and media consumption habits have affected the kinds of information people have access to, who and what they trust, how they form their views, and how they share their perspectives with one another. The media environment has been transformed by social media and its “filter bubble” effect, the increasing popularity of influencers over professional journalists and reputable media brands, and AI and targeting technologies’ personalization of information. These shifts have also made it easier for malicious actors to exploit social divisions and deepen polarization—and thus dysfunction—within democratic societies, making it harder to have the kinds of debates that these societies rely on to function effectively.   

Building public trust in media today requires journalists to be visible, content to be available in the formats that people most readily consume, and coverage to accurately reflect the concerns, questions, and sources of pride that people feel in their daily lives.   

The Content Production Grants we are offering aim to help media make progress toward these goals. We want to help professional media outlets reach new audience demographics through experiments with innovative content formats and delivery methods, and to help promising content creators already working exclusively on social media, YouTube, Spotify, etc. to expand and diversify their audiences.   

Proposed content should have clear civic value but need not be focused exclusively on news and current events. Content should be relevant to people living in Ukraine. 

 Examples of content production or other approaches that applicants may consider include but are not limited to: 

• Launch or expansion of a reporting project that will interactively engage broader or new audiences 

• Content or events designed to improve people’s resilience to disinformation 

• Civic engagement activities that expand audience reach, deepen community trust in your content and in one another, and contribute to more cohesive and resilient information spaces 

• Projects promoting diversification of the experiences and voices featured in media content 

• Podcasts, short videos, or other audio/visual formats designed for mobile consumption 

• Technical adaptation of the website for mobile consumption, implementation of AI tools for adapting content to different audiences and platforms (this should not encompass the whole grant, there should be content production results as well).  

All content created under subawards issued as a result of this RFA must be made available free of charge to the public.  

3.0 Subaward Information 

3.1 Subaward Amount: 

Under this RFA, Internews anticipates awarding at least 10 subgrants of up to a maximum amount of USD $50,000 each.   

3.2 Subaward Duration: 

Internews anticipates subgrants awarded under this RFA to have a performance period of at least three months and no more than six months. No subgrant period of performance will extend beyond October 31, 2026.  

3.3 Eligibility Information: 

Applicants must meet the following criteria in order to be considered eligible for a subaward resulting from this Request for Applications: 

1. Be a local independent and registered organization in Ukraine. 

1. Applications from organizations registered in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, which have not changed their registration to government-controlled territories of Ukraine, will not be considered.  

1. Be in good standing in performance and reporting under previous Internews subgrants, if applicable. 

1. Not be listed with active exclusions on the UN Security Designation List, Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, System for Award Management (SAM), or the Ukraine State Sanctions Registry of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC). 

1. Not be affiliated with any political parties, groups, institutions or their subsidiaries and affiliates. 

1. Please note that applications from existing grantees of the Strengthening Independent Media project will not be considered. 

1. Only one application submitted by an organization will be considered. Multiple applications from the same organization will not be accepted.  

3.4 Evaluation Criteria: 

Applications will be reviewed and ranked by a committee according to the criteria and score weights listed below:  

1. Alignment (closeness of fit between the plans outlined in the application and the goals and priorities outlined in the Scope of Activities of this Request For Applications) (25%) 

1. Clarity (clarity of logical flow between the project goal, implementation plan, and expected results) (25%) 

1. Feasibility (feasibility of the plan given the applicant’s profile and capacity) (25%) 

1. Cost reasonableness (the cost of the proposed project is realistic and proportional to the expected results) (25%)  

In the event that there are more quality applications than there are grants available, Internews will take the following criterion into account:  

1. Complementarity (complementarity of the proposed project to others in Internews’ Ukraine portfolio: will it reach key audience groups that most other supported projects do not, or make content available on key platforms that most other supported projects do not?)  

3.5 Additional Considerations:  

3.5.1 Indirect Costs 

Selected subrecipients will be eligible for an indirect rate of 10%, applied to all direct costs. Costs must be consistently charged as either indirect or direct costs and must not be double charged or inconsistently charged as both.   

3.5.2 Cost Principles: 

Proposal budgets will be reviewed in accordance with, and selected subrecipients’ costs will be subject to, a cost analysis to assure reasonableness of costs provided, allocability of proposed costs to the project, and allowability. Consistent with Section 3.5.3 below, all proposed costs must be aligned with the proposed Program Description, adhere to principles of sound financial management, and be appropriate and adequate for completion of the proposed deliverables. Ineligible costs include, but are not limited to, costs associated with political activities, propaganda, lobbying, organized fundraising, entertainment and personal expenses, and alcoholic beverages. Additional written guidance on cost eligibility will be provided to successful applicants during the subgrant negotiation process. Internews will not cover costs incurred outside of an awarded subgrant’s period of performance, in accordance with Section 3.2 above.   

3.5.3 Subgrant Administration: 

The following regulations and provisions, at minimum, will apply to subawards issued as a result of this RFA.  

No Political or Legislative Activity: Funds provided under subawards issued as a result of this RFA may not be used to influence legislation, support political campaigns, engage in lobbying efforts, or conduct activities inconsistent with charitable purposes or any other activity that is prohibited by a public charity. Prospective subrecipients must ensure all proposed activities remain strictly nonpolitical and adhere to all applicable laws and regulations.  

Anti-Violence/Vetting Requirements: Prospective subrecipients agree to comply with all provisions of the USA Patriot Act (Pub. L. 107-56) and in doing so, will not provide material to support any person or entity that engages in violent or terrorist activities. Subrecipient must undertake reasonable steps to ensure funds are not provided to individuals or entities engaged in violence, terrorism, or illicit activity. Reasonable steps include but are not limited to:   

• Screening employees/contractors against public sanctions lists  

• Written policies for vetting sub-grantees, suppliers, and vendors  

• Keeping timestamped documentation to verify the identity and source of funds, as required by law  

• Ensuring lower-tier partners adhere to the requirements in this Agreement and follow equivalent standards  

Public-Benefit Use: All intellectual property and/or research created under subawards issued as a result of this RFA must be made available for the public benefit, with prior Internews approval, and cannot be used for personal or commercial financial gain.  

3.5.4 Reporting 

Depending on subgrantees’ preference and risk profile, subgrants awarded as a result of this RFA will be issued either via a fixed amount mechanism, with payments based on meeting specific milestones and submission of predetermined deliverables, or as a cost-reimbursable award (which will require submission of narrative and financial reporting on a monthly or quarterly basis). In the first case, milestones, deliverables, and cost will be determined in the negotiation stage with selected subrecipient(s).  

3.5.5 Any Other Considerations   

4.0 Application Information 

4.1 Application Content Requirements: 

Application(s) must meet the following requirements: 

1. Include a completed Subgrant Application Template. 

1. Include a Detailed Budget, using the Subgrants Detailed Budget Template. 

1. Include a completed Subgrant Questionnaire.  

4.2 Application Submission Requirements: 

Applications must be submitted by email to [email protected].  

Individual messages may not exceed 2.5MB. The subject line must include the words “Response to RFA “SIM Content Production Grants”. The documents constituting the application must be included as attachments. The email must list and describe the documents to be included as parts of the application. If more than one message is required to transmit the application, each message must be identified as part of a multi-part submission. (E.g. “message 1 of 3”) 

 Any portion of the application containing confidential or proprietary information should be clearly marked within the application itself either by highlighting or italics. The email must describe specifically how these sections are identified.    

5.0 Award Notification and Responses: 

All applications submitted will be acknowledged within two (2) business days and will note the documents submitted. The respondent is responsible for ensuring and confirming that the emails comprising the application are received by the Internews representatives indicated in the Summary above.  

Successful respondent(s) will be notified of selection no later than 15 working days following the deadline for submission of applications.  

 The successful respondent(s) must confirm the acceptance of their selection within five (5) working days of selection notification, or the selection will be withdrawn due to non-responsive respondent and offered to the next most qualified respondent.   

Once selection is finalized, unsuccessful applicants will be notified that an award has been made.  

Notice of selection of the application is not to be construed as a contract or subgrant award. Once the selection is confirmed, a final subgrant agreement will be negotiated and signed with the successful respondent, subject to successful vetting of eligibility. 

6.0 Inquiries: 

All questions regarding this RFA should be directed via email to [email protected]    

7.0 Attachments: 

1. Subgrant Detailed Budget Template 

1. Subgrant Application Template 

1. Subgrant Questionnaire Template 

1. Subgrant Questionnaire Guidance 

Please check the information about this RFA following this link  

RFA-01 Strengthening Independent Media: Ukraine Content Production Grants 

End of RFA