The Ukrainian Media and Society Fund (UMSF, at Internews Ukraine), under a project funded by Switzerland, invites Ukrainian media outlets and non-governmental organizations to submit project proposals to the “Political journalism development for building a healthy democratic ecosystem in Ukraine” competition.

The overall goal: to strengthen the independent Ukrainian media’s capacity to foster quality political journalism, contributing to a healthy information ecosystem through a political dialogue in challenging times.

This grant competition has two objectives:

• To raise public demand for quality political dialogue through increased media coverage of political processes during Russia’s war against Ukraine and in the recovery period.
• To improve the financial sustainability of independent media that contribute to political journalism through the development of innovative business models (subscription, advertising, membership, side activities, among others).

The Ukrainian Media and Society Fund (at Internews Ukraine) welcomes project proposals that offer activities aligned with the goals of this grant competition – a combination of content production and distribution, as well as the sustainable growth of media outlets.
Each project should aim for these overall objectives in relation to its respective audience, avoiding excessive focus on a single specific topic to prevent generating “blind spots” on other important topics.

The projects should focus on:

• Coverage of political issues in relation to Ukraine’s EU integration, social cohesion, free and fair future elections, post-war recovery and economic development, other crucial topics for keeping democracy (national and local governance, political parties, legislation, public participation, etc.).
• Analysis and explanations of political processes in Ukraine in a global context for different audiences.
• Contributing to the development of political dialogue and a healthy democratic information ecosystem in Ukraine in the challenging period of its history.
• Addressing the issues of voter education: delivery/analysis of information about key political actors, risks, and specific challenges on the political stage during the war, as well as in the future post-war environment.
• Development of innovative business models for media sustainability, including advertising, subscription/club mechanisms, paywall, side business activities, and service provision, among others.

Eligibility

The applicants must:

• Be officially registered as media companies or non-government organizations in Ukraine.
• Work in compliance with professional standards.
• Have professional capacity to cover political issues.
• Demonstrate a potential to strengthen financial viability.

Mainstreaming transversal topics during projects’ implementation:

• Applicants should ensure gender-balanced participation and reporting, as well as coverage of issues relevant to women in the field of political journalism.
• The applicants should follow the inclusivity principle for political correctness and engagement of all groups, including national communities, veterans, IDPs, people with disabilities, and special needs.
• Applicants should follow conflict-sensitive reporting principles (the Do No Harm approach) to prevent fueling conflicts and hatred, while addressing sensitive topics such as elections, political processes under war conditions, social cohesion, and post-war recovery with care and professionalism.

The finalists will be offered substantive and technical mentorship and training.

The maximum amount of awarded grants will be 600,000 Ukrainian hryvnia (UAH) for projects of up to 9 months.

Timing of the projects: March – November 2026.

Deadline for applications

Project proposals, in Ukrainian or English (with English summary of the project description if the proposal was submitted in Ukrainian), marked “Political journalism development for building a healthy democratic ecosystem in Ukraine” must be submitted no later than January 26, 2026, by 18:00 (Kyiv time).

Proposals should be sent via e-mail to grants@internews.ua.

Grant Proposal Writing Instructions

The applicants should fill out the Grant Competition Application Form (please use either the English or Ukrainian version available through this link) that includes the following sections:

• Introductory Section
• Section 1. Project Description (three pages max)
• Section 2. Timeline of Project Activities
• Section 3. Proposed Budget (please use a separate budget template available through this link): 20% maximum may be dedicated to project administration, 5% of the cost share is highly recommended
• Annexes: registration documents of your organization, three samples of political journalism content produced by your media/organization, latest audit report (if available), or tax declaration/report of your company/organization

Proposal Evaluation

• Proposals that do not correspond to this Grant Competition’s goal and requirements will not be considered.
• A jury of independent experts will evaluate all proposals and compile a shortlist of applicants.
• The Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Media and Society Fund (UMSF) will review the shortlist and select the winners via the voting procedure.
• UMSF may contact an applicant if any additional information is required regarding the submitted proposal.
• Preference will be granted to projects that include 5% cost share.

Grant Selection Criteria

Each proposal will receive 30 points maximum according to the following criteria:

• The proposal outlines activities that contribute to the overall goal and objectives of the UMSF’s project (5 points).
• The project can achieve its expected results and provide relevant products within the planned timeframe (5 points).
• The proposed types of activities make the media/organization’s sustainability model feasible (5 points).
• The applicant demonstrates sufficient experience and capacity to contribute to the development of political journalism in Ukraine (5 points).
• The project budget is reasonable and cost-effective (5 points).
• The project includes a 5% cost share (5 points).

The Ukrainian Media and Society Fund (UMSF, at Internews Ukraine) is grateful for your interest in the development of political journalism in Ukraine and looks forward to receiving your project proposals.