NUJU and Swedish Media Publishers’ Association announce a 6-month Frontline Press program to support 25 frontline newspapers

The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) announces a competition for 25 frontline newspapers to participate in the Frontline Press program, which is implemented jointly with the Swedish Media Publishers’ Association (Tidningsutgivarna / TU) to support local newsrooms in frontline regions that, despite constant shelling and threats, continue to work and inform their communities.

The program aims to strengthen the resilience of local media operating in frontline communities, provide access to important information, and counter russian disinformation.

The total financial support fund is EUR 170,000

Each selected newsroom will receive monthly financial assistance of UAH 42,000.

Program participants will receive:

• mentoring support in creating original professional materials;
• the opportunity to participate in educational webinars on content, digitalization, and economic sustainability;
• editorial support and consultations from NUJU

Program duration — December 1, 2025 – May 31, 2026.

Who can participate

Regional and local printed publications distributed in the following regions are invited to participate:

• Dnipropetrovsk Region
• Donetsk Region
• Zaporizhzhia Region
• Mykolayiv Region
• Sumy Region
• Kharkiv Region
• Kherson Region
• Chernihiv Region

Participation criteria

Editorial departments shall:

• regularly publish and distribute a printed newspaper;
• be independent and impartial;
• create high-quality content that is useful to the community;
• adhere to the Code of Ethics of a Ukrainian Journalist;
• implement innovative and modern editorial approaches;
• demonstrate a commitment to economic sustainability.

Preference is given to:

• media outlets that are actively developing digital platforms (websites, social networks);
• newsrooms that do not have institutional support from other donors during the program implementation period;
• newspapers that participated in the NUJU study on the economic state of the media
• in March-April 2025 (at the request of Swedish partners).

The NUJU competition committee will:

• carefully check the compliance of newsrooms with the selection criteria;
• evaluate the actual work of the publication – regularity of publication, accessibility of content to the community, quality of materials;
• if necessary, may request additional documents, confirmations, or clarifications;
• make decisions based on a comprehensive assessment of the submitted data.

We strive to provide support to those newsrooms that actually work in frontline communities and need resources to continue their mission.

How to apply

You must fill out the online application form at the link: https://forms.gle/6EziQFxwB6H5KhJQ7

The submission deadline is November 27, 2025.

The selection results will be published on December 1, 2025, on NUJU information resources.

Contacts

Project coordinator:

Iryna Khromenko [email protected]