OBJECT OF THE CALL FOR PROJECTS: STIPEND AWARDS FOR CONTENT PRODUCTION
FINANCIAL SIZING OF STIPENDS: EUR 4,000
1. EMPOWERING PALESTINIAN AND ISRAELI CIVIL SOCIETIES AND MEDIA PROJECT
1.1 Presentation of Canal France International
Canal France International (CFI) actively promotes the development of media in sub-Saharan Africa, the Mediterranean and the Levant. We are committed to working together with media organizations to promote dialogue between local authorities and citizens so that people can be as informed as possible. Combating disinformation, protecting the environment, and promoting human rights and gender equality underpin everything we do. CFI is an operator of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and a subsidiary of the France Médias Monde Group.
1.2 Context of the Call for Projects
The Empowering Palestinian and Israeli Civil Societies and Media project (hereinafter “Main project”) aims to strengthen the role of civil society and media and respond to the need for rapid response approaches that go beyond traditional models, which have often failed to address structural inequalities and entrenched power asymmetries. The overall objective of the Main project is to contribute to creating a more conducive environment for sustainable coexistence by strengthening Israeli and Palestinian civil societies and supporting independent media in advancing dialogue, mutual understanding, and collaboration.
Within this framework, the specific objective of this Call for Projects is to provide content production stipends to freelance journalists and content creators to support the development of high-quality content across digital media and social platforms, to promote innovative formats and stories that highlight public interest issues. These stipends will enable journalists and content creators in both Palestine and Israel to produce diverse, engaging, and credible content that reaches a broad audience and promotes accurate, balanced narratives.
The purpose of this Call for Projects is to define (i) the selection process and (ii) the contractual terms of the future stipend agreement, hereinafter referred to as the “Agreement”, to be concluded between CFI and the selected beneficiaries. The terms set out in this Call for Projects are for information purposes only and may be amended unilaterally by CFI prior to the conclusion of the Agreement.
This Call for Projects does not constitute for any beneficiary a promise to award the future stipend.
1.3. Call for projects objectives and priorities
Objectives
The objective of this Call for Projects is to provide financial support to content production editorial projects for a period of up to six (6) months between May and October 2026.
The specific objective of this Call for Projects is to provide financial support to:
- Up to 40 stipends for independent journalists and content creators.
Priorities
This Call for Projects prioritizes stories that enhance media pluralism to counter disinformation and hate speech, amplify democratic voices, and promote quality public debate on issues of public interest. Priority will be given to topics directly contributing to media reform, dialogue, accountability, inclusion of marginalized and discriminated communities, and community resilience. Stories promoting diverse voices and changes in dominant narratives are encouraged.
All stories must integrate cross-cutting considerations:
- A gender-sensitive approach that advances women’s leadership and gender equality.
- Meaningful youth engagement as leaders and decision-makers.
- Conflict-sensitive design informed by political, social, and historical context.
- Adherence to the Do No Harm principles, ensuring participant safety, informed consent, risk mitigation, and avoidance of harmful narratives, hate speech, stigmatization, or misinformation.
Particular attention must be paid to the safety and security of journalists, sources and participants, including digital protection, trauma-sensitive reporting and risk mitigation in volatile environments.
Projects must demonstrate awareness of risks linked to misinformation, manipulated content and AI-generated material, and commit to verification standards.
1.4. Amount of the funding made available by CFI
Successful applicants will receive a stipend of EUR 4,000. This amount is a lump sum.
This is a stipend intended to cover the costs incurred by the journalist or the group of journalists in producing the project (production equipment, IT equipment, transportation for gathering information, etc.) in order to enable the successful applicants to produce the contents for their editorial project or, in the case of an existing project, to develop further content.
In case the Application is submitted by a group of journalists, it must clearly state the name and information of the lead applicant who will be in charge of receiving and managing the stipend.
The first payment, amounting to half of the stipend, will be disbursed upon signature of the Agreement between CFI and the winning applicants.
Four (4) months after the beginning of the stipend duration, CFI will ask the successful applicants to provide:
- A narrative report on the project’s implementation.
- The content(s) already produced, if applicable, and/or proof of future broadcast or publication.
- Any relevant document related to the project’s activities and products.
The provision of these items will determine the disbursement of the second and final payment of the stipend. The production of the projects will be carried out under the full responsibility of the participating journalist(s) and content creators and will be governed by an Agreement signed between CFI and the winning applicants, and when applicable, with the media outlet employing the applicant.
1.5. Technical support provided by CFI
Successful applicants will participate in an in-person journalism workshop organized by CFI, in the month following the signature of the Agreement, to support the launch of their editorial project.
Successful applicants will benefit from technical and editorial advice by CFI’s local service providers in charge of Editorial Advisory throughout the entire duration of their project.
2. RULES APPLICABLE TO THIS CALL FOR PROJECTS
2.1 Eligibility Criteria relating to Applicant status
Eligible profiles:
- Journalists (web, radio/podcast, TV, print, social media, data, investigative, etc.).
- Content creators, provided that their project adheres to strict journalistic and editorial standards.
Applicants can submit an Application individually or as an established group.
Eligibility criteria
The criteria are cumulative; if the applicant does not meet one or more of the criteria set out below, its application shall be rejected by CFI:
- Be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the project proposed under this Call for Projects and the subsequent management of a potential stipend.
- Be an individual or established group of journalists.
- The Applicant may only submit one Application.
In addition, applicants must demonstrate:
- A strong commitment to producing original content and formats that allow for interactivity with the audience.
- A commitment to public interest content, which may cover a range of public interest issues such as socio-economic issues, community issues, gender-related issues, etc.
- A commitment to media ethics as set out in the IFJ Global Charter of Ethics for Journalists.
2.2. Eligibility criteria relating to Project Activities
2.2.1 Duration
The selected projects must start no earlier than 1st May 2026 (provided the stipend Agreement is signed before that date) and end no later than 31 October 2026. The actual project duration will be confirmed prior to signing the stipend Agreement and will be contingent on the length of the funding Agreement between Canal France International, Expertise France and the European Union.
The initial planned duration of the selected projects is up to six (6) months.
2.2.2 Geographic coverage
The proposed projects must be implemented in the following country(ies): Palestine and/or Israel.
2.2.3 Funding
The applicant may apply for funds to cover part of an editorial project or to complete an already ongoing project. In the latter case, the stipend can be used as a contribution to producing and publishing one bigger production or as a separate next phase of the project. In that case, other sources of funding or potential funding should be mentioned in the Application.
Details of the funding requested from CFI must be provided in the Application, including the use of the funds and the team that will be working on the project. All other sources of funding must be mentioned in the Application.
2.2.4 Type of activities
The type of activity(ies) proposed should be related to the production of the editorial project submitted.
The project able to benefit from financing under this Call for projects should not:
- aim to generate profit;
- be partial or supportive of political and/or armed factions;
- be exclusive of any group.
Projects proposed in continuation of existing actions are eligible.
2.3. Presentation of the application and procedures to be followed
2.3.1 How to apply?
Each applicant must submit an application including all the documents and information listed below; failure to do so will result in the elimination of the applicant from the CFI selection process:
- Appendix 1: Application form: each project must be presented in accordance with the template provided and must not exceed eight (8) pages in length. The form must be dated and signed and accompanied by the following documents; otherwise, the application will be considered incomplete:
- Curriculum vitae (CV) of the individual or of all group members if applying as a group, in English or French.
- Bank details (IBAN) in the Lead Applicant’s name.
Handwritten applications are not accepted.
Applications must be submitted in English or French.
Any application that does not comply with the above requirements shall be rejected by CFI without the applicant having the opportunity to amend it.
Applicants may submit their questions regarding the application process or eligibility criteria electronically, no later than seven (7) days before the application submission deadline, to this CFI’s platform for Calls for Applications.
All questions and answers and other important information provided to applicants during the assessment process will be published in a timely manner and shared with all applicants.
3.SELECTION OF APPLICATIONS
Applications shall be examined and assessed by CFI with the possible assistance of external assessors. All Applications shall be assessed according to the stages and criteria described below.
If examination of the Application reveals that the proposed project does not meet the eligibility criteria set out in this Call for Projects, the Application shall be rejected for this reason alone.
3.1. STAGE 1: Opening and administrative verification
At the opening and administrative verification stage, the following elements shall be checked:
- Compliance with the application deadline and format. Non-compliance shall result in automatic rejection of the Application;
- Compliance with all the criteria on the Application Form checklist (Appendix 1). If any of the information requested is missing or incorrect, the application may be rejected for this reason alone and shall not be analysed.
Compliant and complete applications shall be analysed with regard to the requirements of the Call for Projects and the relevance and design of the proposed Project.
3.2. STAGE 2: Assessment of the proposed project
Compliant and complete applications will be reviewed by an evaluation committee, composed of CFI and media experts.
The project Application form (Appendix 1) shall be given an overall score out of 50 points, broken down according to the assessment grid below. The assessment shall also check compliance with the instructions on how to complete the Application form. The assessment criteria are used to assess the quality of the applications in relation to the objectives and priorities set out in the present Guidelines.
| Category | Criteria | Description of criteria | Grade (0–5) |
| Editorial value & project design | 1. Editorial clarity & originality | Is it clear what the applicant wants to investigate, reveal, or explain? Does the proposal present a fresh perspective on the issue covered? | /10 |
| 2. Risk analysis | Does the project take into account external factors (risks and assumptions)? | /5 | |
| Storytelling & format | 3. Creativity & storytelling quality | Is the narrative approach compelling? Does the project propose innovative storytelling methods (multimedia, data, interactive formats, original narrative techniques)? | /10 |
| Public value | 4. Representation of marginalized voices & plurality of viewpoints | Does the project aim to reflect diverse and relevant perspectives, avoiding bias and one-sided framing? Does it include perspectives from women and socioeconomically or ethnically marginalized communities? | /10 |
| 5. Public interest value | Does the story address issues of clear public importance? Does it inform, empower, or contribute to public debate? | /5 | |
| Journalistic rigor | 6. Depth of reporting & research plan | Does the applicant show a credible plan to go beyond surface reporting? Are sources and investigation paths well thought out? | /5 |
| 7. Accuracy, fact-checking & ethical rigor | Does the proposal demonstrate strong awareness of verification, fact-checking, and journalistic ethics? | /5 |
Applications with a score higher than 40/50 shall be shortlisted.
Applications with a score higher than 35/50 shall be included in a reserve list.
3.3. STAGE 3: Award
The results of this assessment will establish a list of shortlisted proposals. Selected projects are expected to start implementation from May 2026 onwards. A reserve list will also be established and may be used if additional funds become available or if a selected project cannot be contracted. All applicants will be informed in writing of the outcome of the selection process and, if rejected, the reasons for the negative decision.
Should an applicant believe they are the victim of an error or irregularity committed during a call for projects procedure, they must refer the matter directly to CFI.
CFI must issue a response within 30 days of receiving the complaint. Furthermore, if the response from CFI is unsatisfactory to the applicant, within two months following notification of their decision, said applicant may lodge an appeal with the Judicial Court of Nanterre, 179-191 Avenue Joliot Curie, 92020, Nanterre (Mail: accueil.tj-nanterre@justice.fr, Tel: 0140971010, Fax: 0147243161).
Download:
Appendix 1: Application form
Categories :
Content production stipends, Support for media projectsLocations :
Israel, PalestinePartenaires :
European Union, Expertise FranceMedia Types :
Blog or social media page, Online media, Podcast, Print, Pure players, Written pressEmail contact : alexandre.chatel@cfi.fr