Program Purpose

The Media Development Fund grant program is administered by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. The fund supports the development of free and independent media in Ukraine and provides financial grant support to Ukrainian journalists, media organizations and other non-governmental organizations for media-related projects.

Major Program Requirements

The Media Development Fund welcomes proposals from independent Ukrainian media outlets- including print, radio, TV or electronic media. Ukrainian state or communal media and political party media outlets are not eligible to apply. Funding is also available to individual journalists and staff from all Ukrainian media outlets (organizations), private or state. Non-governmental organizations may seek funding if their proposals directly support the development of Ukrainian media.

The Fund does not support advertising newspapers; NGO informational leaflets; specialized publications covering narrow professional issues and projects aimed at partisan political purposes.

The maximum amount of a grant awarded for one project is $24,000. The actual amount of a grant awarded depends on the scope of activities and duration of projects, which range from one month to a year. The Media Development Fund encourages cost-sharing for organizations to seek additional funding from other sources.

General Competition Project Themes

The Media Development Fund's priorities are directed to:

1. Bolster the quality of Ukrainian journalism education by:
   
   
   • Providing training to journalism students
   • Supporting students internships in the leading national and regional media outlets
   • Encouraging inter-regional student exchange
   • Opening and upgrading Radio and TV training studios at the schools of journalism
   • Supporting creation of educational manuals for journalism students
2. Raise the professional standards of Ukrainian journalists by:
   
   
   • Training journalists new to the profession (one - three years on the job)
   • Awarding group and individual travel grants for journalists to attend conferences, seminars and participate in internships abroad
   • Encouraging projects in the areas of investigation journalism, analytical and news reporting.
3. Provide a favorable environment for the development of Ukrainian media by:
   
   
   • Promoting freedom of expression and monitoring violations of journalists' rights, especially on the regional level
   • Educating editors and staff of media outlets about laws and regulations that underscore free and transparent practice of journalism
   • Incorporating new technologies in the media environment, eg. using Internet as an information tool, which includes, developing or upgrading websites as part of a bigger project
4. Encourage Media-NGO-Government cooperation by:
   
   
   • Supporting dialogue and open communication between media, NGO and government through holding joint seminars, working meetings and round-tables
   • Conducting training for the staff of government press agencies
   • Encouraging inter-regional media cooperation and partnerships

Competitions

In addition to general competition, the Embassy holds thematic or regional competitions. Check this website and local media for announcements.