Aiming to support quality, engaging and innovative content production, local and regional collaboration, professional development, internships, networking, mobility, and validation of business ideas, the Western Balkans Media for Change project announces the grant-funding scheme for individuals, media outlets, associations and other organisations from the Western Balkans.
One of the six areas that the scheme supports is the Priority area 1: Validation of a business idea, or the Validation Booster programme.
Validation Booster (VB) is a tailor-made acceleration programme for media outlets, CSO initiatives and individual content creators, journalists who want to learn how to do validation of their initiative/product/service ideas or networking potential.
Applicants whose ideas get approved will receive:
- financial support through awarded grants,
- mentorship in the domain of business development during the five-month-long acceleration process.
Who is the Validation Booster For?
The programme targets individuals from the Western Balkans that can act as “intrapreneurs” – people who work for media outlets or CSOs and launch new products/services or initiatives inside the existing entities.
The ideal participant is a person with capacity, capability and high interest in spearheading innovative initiatives and demonstrated commitment to participate in the programme.
Besides individuals working for organisations and/or those performing as individual content producers we highly encourage representatives from the below mentioned groups to apply for VB:
● underrepresented, marginalised groups;
● youth CSO and youth media outlets and young journalists;
● women-led media and organisations that apply in everyday work gender and social inclusion policies and practices;
● niche media/platform with specific/unusual topics coverage.
After completing the Validation Booster beneficiaries will have developed skills which enable them to:
● Clearly define their idea/purpose;
● Test, validate and evaluate their business idea;
● Develop materials required to present and communicate their validated idea to interested parties and potential donors.
To attend this programme you are expected to have a good command of spoken English.
The programme has two identical cycles, both a total duration of 5 (five) months. Applicants may apply for the first or the second cycle, depending on what suits them or their media better:
I cycle: April 2024 – August 2024 and II cycle: October 2024 - February 2025.
Please note that the deadline for the application for the I cycle is 13 March 2024 by 23:59 CET and for the II cycle, it is 1 August 2024, by 23:59 CET.
For detailed information, eligibility criteria and guidelines, Western Balkans Media for Change invites all interested parties to read the Call for Applications. Please download the Application form by clicking on this link.
The Western Balkans Media for Change project is funded by the UK Government and implemented by the British Council in partnership with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), Thomson Foundation and INTRAC (The International NGO Training and Research Centre).
