Local Innovative Media in Europe Network

Local Innovative Media in Europe Network
Call for Applications from independent local/community media and freelancers in Belgium, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland and Serbia.
The Local Innovative Media in Europe Network (LIMENet) is an initiative co-funded by Creative Europe, that aims to harness the potential of local and community media to promote a diverse, pluralistic and independent media environment in Belgium, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, and Serbia as a means to improve equal media access to disadvantaged groups, provide alternative voices and reduce effects of the state capture, in targeted countries.
LIMENet’s support is designed to foster collaboration and improve the resilience of local and community media in the face of challenges such as technological disruption and information manipulation and focuses on empowering local media by providing them with the necessary skills and resources to produce quality reporting while strengthening their economic viability.

The key objective of LIMENet is:
- to mobilise collaboration and exchange of innovative local media practices for the purpose of safeguarding media pluralism and independence in hostile environments.
- to provide opportunities for media to improve business models as well as to support and facilitate collaborative journalism projects through increasing the quality and influence of local independent journalism.
Grant applicants - Minimum Eligibility Criteria

Eligible countries
- Hungary
- Serbia
- Belgium
- Lithuania
- Poland
Applicants responding to this call must meet the following criteria:
- Local/community* non-profit, public interest or private media that produce written, online, radio, tv and/or podcast content in Belgium, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland and Serbia;
- Registered as a media organisation/content producer, with continuous publication for at least one year;
- Free-lancers who are residents or citizens in any of the five target countries with a publication record in registered media of at least five years;
- Civil society organisations registered for at least one year in any of the five listed countries that focus on news media (media professionals, NGOs, journalistic funds);
- Be the entity that is directly responsible for project preparation and management;
*Local media refers to news and information outlets that focus on a specific geographic area, like a town, city, or region. They provide content relevant to the local community, covering local news, events, and issues that might not be covered by national or international media. This includes local newspapers, radio stations, television stations, and online news sources.
Eligible activities (this list is not exhaustive):
- producing journalism content that increases outreach (audience development);
- improving quality of the content (new technologies; video and multi-media production);
- collaborative development (adapting existing innovative practices to new contexts);
- joint distribution of new media content;
- projects/capacity building focused on increasing revenues (subscriptions, newsletters, grant-procurement etc..)
- establishment of networking and sharing platforms (for example: within regions; Europe-wide; thematic networks).
NOTE: We encourage collaborative partnerships between media organisations that take into account women, youth, ethnic and other disadvantaged groups as audiences, as well as being the subject of produced media content, to apply.
The sub-granted actions are encouraged to produce results including:
- Increase outreach by expanding existing and adding new audience categories
- Improve quality of local media products by using new technologies and multimedia
- Advance local media viability by implementing innovative practices in business transformation
- Expand local media distribution channels by joint production and/or dissemination
- Strengthen the voice of local media in efforts to advocate for their improved position in the media regulatory environment
Grant funding may be used to cover any costs necessary for the development, completion of the project goals including salary and human resource costs, research-related costs, translation and local travel costs. Equipment costs are not eligible.
Mentorship and training
Each grantee will have the option to work with one or more carefully selected mentors according to how their needs evolve as they proceed with their projects. Applicants can decide who will communicate with the mentor(s) throughout the programme. Mentors will commit to being available on particular days for calls, emails, feedback sessions etc. throughout the course of the projects.
How to apply
Eligible media organisations and freelancers can apply for grants between 16,000 and 20,000 euros.
Applications must be received via the online grants application portal by 23.59 CEST on 25 August 2025. Please create an account and register via Media4Change platform.
The project application consists of:
Narrative proposal: completion of the application template, which can be downloaded from the portal and then attached in your portal account once ready for final submission.
Budget: a detailed budget is required for the project proposal to be considered. This template is also available for download in the portal and then attached in your portal account once ready for final submission.
Those selected projects will receive 80 percent of all eligible costs of the total budget. The 20 percent contribution of the applicant must be illustrated in the budget and can include: other revenues, donations, non-EC funded grant programmes etc…
Applications can be completed in either English or the local language. Only applications received via the Media4Change platform by the stated date and time will be considered. You will receive an email confirmation of your submission. If you do not receive a confirmation email within 30 minutes (and after checking your spam folder), please email techsupport@media4change.co.
NOTE: The LIMENet project team may request additional narrative or financial documentation no later than one month after the deadline for submission.
Selection process and timeline
The selection of successful applications is done by an independent, experienced jury of media experts and practitioners in each eligible country.
Timeline
- Open date: 27 June 2025
- Closing date: 25 August 2025
- Selection and Notification: September 2025
- Grants distribution: October 2025
The final list of awardees will be jointly compiled at a project partners’ meeting and announced integrally via project communication channels. Successful applicants will be notified by 20 September. Given the expected high volume of applications, the LIMENet project team reserves the right to not provide individual feedback to unsuccessful applicants.
Grants are awarded for a period of six to nine months. All funded projects must be finalised no later than the date specified in the grant agreement.
Payments and reporting
Pool distribution
The sub-granting component of the project aims to equip over 50 local media outlets and freelancers with individual grants between 16,000 and 20,000 euros. In addition, tailored training, mentoring and networking assistance, including at the national or international level among the mentioned program target countries, will also be provided to grantees.
LIMENet will fund 80% of the project value, while the applicant will be requested to contribute 20% of the project value.
For applicants selected for grant funding, the payment of grants will be made in three installments:
- 40 per cent of the awarded grant amount will be paid upon signing of the grant agreement by the awarded project team and upon counter-signing.
- 40 per cent of the awarded grant amount following the submission of a mid-term narrative report and completion of agreed targets.
- The remaining 20 per cent of the awarded grant amount will be paid following the submission of a final report by the grantees demonstrating the fulfilment of the grant requirements. 
- Grantees will be required to provide detailed documentation (e.g. receipts) of their spending or accounting information as a precondition of payment of the final instalment, They will be asked to keep all relevant documents for five years.
- The sub-grantees may be provided mentoring in implementation and EU visibility by project partners. The project partners will perform regular monitoring of the projects’ implementation and organise monitoring visits to the beneficiaries in each country. Grantees will have an obligation to provide internal progress narrative reports based on set objectives and in the provided template form. These reports will be approved nationally by country teams and jointly by the LIMENet project team.