Emergency Media Support Grants 2026: Call for Proposals for SMF Members

Media and CSOs actors are operating under severe disruption, including displacement, safety risks, infrastructure breakdown, and censorship pressures. This small support mechanism is designed to contribute stabilising essential work that protects the public’s access to verified information, that help reducing harm, and supports social cohesion.

This is an internal call open exclusively to eligible SMF member organisations.

FPU-SMF expect to award approximately six grants of up to € 20,000 each, subject to the urgency and quality of applications. Priority is given to proposals that demonstrate clear public interest value, strong feasibility under current conditions, and responsible communication (NGOs) or journalism (media organisations) practices.

Objectives of the support

The grants aim to support initiatives that:

• Helps essential public-interest media production to continue
• Counter misinformation and harmful narratives
• Promote conflict-sensitive and constructive journalism
• Serve audiences affected by displacement or insecurity
• Strengthen collaboration and resilience within the media ecosystem
• Amplify community voices

Urgency is treated as a universal threshold condition. Comparative assessment focuses on preventing the greatest immediate harm to public access to reliable information.

Who can apply

Eligible applicants must:

• Be an SMF member organisation in good standing
• Demonstrate operational capacity to implement activities safely
• Meet minimum editorial and ethical standards
• Show ability to reach intended audiences/constituencies under current conditions

Applications that fail minimum capacity or content safeguards will not proceed to scoring.

What we support

Support will be provided based on:

• Urgent operational needs: Current operational challenges requiring immediate financial or technical support to resume or sustain production
• Public interest journalism: Alignment with call objectives including countering misinformation, civic awareness, and addressing Sudan's current context of conflict, displacement, governance, and humanitarian issues
• Meaningful impact: Ability to produce impactful content that supports democratic dialogue and reaches Sudanese audiences, particularly in exile or conflict-affected areas

Types of activities supported

Proposals may include, for example:

• Emergency continuation of news or public-interest reporting – community engagement
• Fact-checking or counter-disinformation content
• Community information services
• Collaborative reporting initiatives
• Content/Activities that promotes cohesion or reduces harmful narratives

Activities must be feasible, safety-aware, and conflict-sensitive.

Evaluation Criteria and Weights

Applications are reviewed through a structured, independent process using published criteria. The evaluation considers the following criteria with specified weights totaling 100%:

• Relevance and Alignment (20%)
  Alignment with call objectives, relevance to the current Sudanese context, and clear target audience identification.
• Technical and Operational Capacity (20%)
  Realistic timeline and workplan, team capacity, access to platforms and audiences, past performance, and risk mitigation.
• Diversity and Inclusion Contribution (20%)
  Inclusion of women, youth, minorities, or displaced populations; gender sensitive and inclusive content; local language or community outreach.
• Partnership and Collaboration Potential (15%)
  Ability to build bridges and work across divides.
• Budget and Value for Money (10%)
  Budget clarity and realism, cost effectiveness, and appropriate allocation to content.
• Ethical and Accountability Standards (15%)
  Accuracy and verification, responsible language and framing, conflict sensitivity, ethical safeguards, and balanced representation of voices.

A minimum threshold score is required to advance

Decision Process

Eligible proposals are reviewed by an independent jury using standardized scoring tools. Each proposal will be assessed by multiple independent reviewers to ensure consistency and fairness.

Timeline

• Call Announcement: By 25 February 2026
• Application Deadline: 10 March 2026
• Eligibility check: 12 March 2026
• Review Period: 16-24 March 2026
• Award communication: 26 March 2026
• Decision Notification: TBA

Given the emergency context, timelines are kept short

How to Apply

Via the button below, applicants must submit:

• Completed proposal form that
• included description and implementation plan
• Safety and risk considerations
• Budget outline

Templates for the proposal form and budget outline can be downloaded below.

Template for proposal form

Template for Budget

Apply now

For questions, clarifications, or support with your application, before 10 March please contact us at info@freepressunlimited.org.