Media outlet: Mykolaiv Center for Investigative Reporting

Location: Mykolaiv

Year: 2020-2021

Website: https://nikcenter.org/ (in Russian)

In the regions of southern Ukraine, the Mykolaiv Center for Investigative Reporting represents an exceptional community of journalists who, not only in Mykolaiv, systematically uncover complicated cases of corruption and wrongdoing. Independence is their main professional value and they therefore have strict criteria of what is acceptable in terms of sponsors and donations, as well as who is allowed to advertise on their website. The pandemic has had consequences for continuing their work, due to the loss of vital income from small advertisers. The center tried to turn the situation into an opportunity and developed a plan for the possibility of diversifying its income, which we decided to support. Our support will enable the Center to work intensively over a six-month period to find new funding opportunities; to establish contacts and relationships with larger and smaller donors; and, above all, to create a community for its subscribers, primarily out of the residents of the Mykolaiv region.