Project SAFE ensures that journalists and media workers across the Eastern Partnership continue their vital work. Together with our trusted partners, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) has expanded the Voices of Ukraine programme into the Support and Assistance for Free Expression (SAFE) project, which provides urgent support to media facing threats and challenges across the region.
We support journalists and the independent media in order to maintain local reporting in their home countries, while providing relocation options when risks escalate. Our goal is to ensure the sustained flow of trustworthy, reliable reporting essential for public access to information and regional democratic resilience.
If you are a journalist or a media worker from the Eastern Partnership, facing threats, struggling with the toll of the work, or looking to strengthen your safety and skills, find out how we can help.
Who we support
Support is open to independent media professionals, journalists, editors, freelancers, photojournalists from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
Our approach
Our support is tailored to the specific threats media workers face, whether professional or personal, as we recognise that pressure does not stop at the workplace. Cases involving threats tied to gender or identity, and situations where the impact extends to family members, are also considered inour response.
Available funds
SAFE provides different types of financial support tailored to the challenges journalists and media workers face. Explore the available funds below to find the support that best matches your situation.
If you face crises, including legal persecution, the loss or destruction of professional equipment, urgent medical emergencies, or direct threats to your personal and family safety, this fund provides financial assistance.
Working in conflict zones or in hostile environments takes a serious emotional toll. This fund covers the cost of mental health support. You choose your own care provider. We cover the costs.
Working in high-risk environments requires specific skills. This fund covers the cost of training you identify as a priority, tailored to your safety, security, or professional needs, so you can keep reporting.
Apply for support
All applications are processed under strict confidentiality using high standards of digital security.
To ensure accessibility, we welcome applications in local languages, however, submitting your request in English helps our team review and process your case much faster.
SAFE is run by ECPMF as part of the Hannah Arendt Initiative, supported by the German Federal Foreign Office
Get additional support through our partners
Media professionals in Ukraine can also access specialised support through our network:
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Emergency grants – PIJL
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Technology Support Fund – Fix Foundation;
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HEFAT(Hostile Environment and Emergency First Aid Training) – AIRPPU
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Insurance for journalists on the front line – AIRPPU
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Special support for journalists by WiM
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Short-Term-Residence in Ukraine by Lviv Media Forum
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