If journalists have a good idea for an investigative story but lack time or money to carry out the research, they can apply for funding. A new call for proposals now is open at Journalismfund.eu. This time including a new option for covering European affairs stories.

The next round for proposals to apply for a research grant from Journalismfund.eu is now open. The overall amount to be distributed this time will be € 25.000, the deadline for applications is June 14^th 2010 at 12 o’clock noon.

Journalismfund.eu is among the pioneers when it comes to alternative funding for investigative journalism in Europe, it has been active since the autumn of 2008 and is affiliated to the equally non-profit Belgian Pascal Decroos Fund with more than a decades experience in distribution of research grants to journalists.

Journalismfund.eu is thus part of a movement these years to develop alternative funding for investigative and innovative research journalism.

Journalismfund.eu has had some very interesting applications, two of them are already published, one unveiled slive-like working conditions of trafficked workers, and one unveiled dodgy business schemes involving several countries.

The new features for for this application are another step in the development of the best practice for this model of research grants for journalistic research. The development of Journalismfund.eu and the research grants are supported by the Norwegian Fritt Ord Foundation and the Open Society Media Program aswell as via the Fonds Pascal Decroos by the government of Flanders in Belgium.

Note: The author of this blog is a freelance-journalist and actively involved in developping Journalismfund.eu.