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Emergency Support Program. Media Support in Wartime

The Emergency Support Program is part of the ongoing assistance the Lviv Media Forum provides to newsrooms and freelance journalists during the war. It’s designed to offer urgent help in critical moments — whether that means saving equipment, staying able to work, or protecting a team’s safety so the work can go on.

Our support is directed to those whose reporting truly matters for society and strengthens the country’s resilience — outlets and journalists who keep working despite risks, losses, and limited resources.

Within the program, we focus on supporting those who:

  • work in threatened regions or directly cover the war;
  • have suffered losses due to hostilities;
  • use the assistance to continue or restore their work.

Who we support

Newsrooms that:

  • lost equipment or offices as a result of shelling;
  • had to relocate for safety or to keep working.

Journalists who:

  • lost their homes that also served as their workplace;
  • lost their equipment;
  • need to relocate in order to stay able to work.

Freelancers and war correspondents (including those serving in the military) who:

  • lost equipment or access to their workspace;
  • carry out a socially important mission under dangerous conditions.

Freelance applicants will be asked to provide a portfolio or other proof of their journalistic background and media work.

Core principle: help that enables work

We evaluate each request with a simple question: will this support allow a newsroom or journalist to get back to work, or to keep from losing it? Our assistance is focused on critical situations — we step in where it’s truly necessary to continue working, and we are always transparent about the limits of what we can provide.

What the program can cover

Expenses directly affecting the continuity of work, such as:

  • purchasing or replacing lost equipment;
  • relocation costs;
  • the minimum necessary expenses to restore a newsroom or workspace.

What we do not cover:

  • team salaries;
  • office rent or utility bills;
  • office equipment or infrastructure “just in case”;
  • expenses not related to professional activity.

Who we cannot support:

  • organizations or individuals connected to Russia;
  • media outlets that spread pro-Russian or anti-Ukrainian narratives;
  • state-owned media (except military) or party-affiliated outlets;
  • media that seriously violate professional standards;
  • editorial teams whose content is not journalistic in nature (such as entertainment projects, aggregators, etc.).

Emergency support is provided upon request. We encourage media outlets and journalists who need such help to be proactive and clearly state their needs. The amount and form of one-time support will depend on the current capacity of the Lviv Media Forum.

How to apply for support

Applications are submitted through a short form, which includes required fields: applicant’s full name; media outlet name (or freelancer/journalist status); description of the request; justification of the need; and explanation of how this support will help preserve or restore the ability to work.

The team reviews applications within three business days of submission. The Lviv Media Forum reserves the right to decline an application without providing detailed reasons.

The program is implemented with the support of the National Endowment for Democracy.