Crowdfunding
Stories That Matter

Press Start’s mission is to foster independent journalism where it is suppressed.

DONATE       LEARN MORE

Active Campaigns

Anonymous people of the Silk Road

Anonymous people of the Silk Road

We are a group of European-based journalists working together to unravel a modern form of slavery: the use of cheap labor from China in the “fast fashion” production industries in Italy. This project aims to uncover the stories of these anonymous Chinese people who travel vast distances only to be kept in poor working conditions. We will build on previous investigations into human rights violations and transnational human trafficking that have already been conducted. We will analyze the impact of this type of labor on the industry and more specifically on Italy’s economic landscape.

We will also look at other forms of possible criminality related to China's Belt and Road development and infrastructure initiative.

MF Through a grant from the European Commission (EC), we will match every amount you donate, up to 2,000 euros total. The total will be regularly updated to reflect the EC's contribution.



Learn more

raised
€4 740

goal
€6 130

Patriotic history

Tamás Boros, Marian Chiriac

The famous writer George Orwell once said: ”Who controls the past, controls the future.” In recent years, rewriting the past has become a favorite pastime of Hungarian and Romanian politicians as they seek to boost their credentials as true patriots. How have they done it and how successful have they been? A team of Hungarian and Romanian journalists aims to investigate the ways in which official policies have manipulated the past in their respective countries, not only distorting the public’s view of history, but also deterring critical thinking.

MF Through a grant from the European Commission (EC), we will match every amount you donate, up to 2,000 euros total. The total will be regularly updated to reflect the EC's contribution.



Learn more

raised
€3 195

goal
€4 630

Endometriosis: Overlooked and Mistreated

Urtė Fultinavičiūtė, Donika Gashi

Women’s health is often overlooked and mistreated. One of the most common chronic conditions is endometriosis, a disease of the female reproductive systems. Endometriosis is as common as diabetes, affecting one in 10 women worldwide, yet hardly anyone has heard about it.

Two journalists in the UK and Kosovo aim to analyze why endometriosis is still taboo. In collaboration with an endometriosis organization in the Czech Republic, they will discuss how women activists are fighting for change.

MF Through a grant from the European Commission (EC), we will match every amount you donate, up to 2,000 euros total. The total will be regularly updated to reflect the EC's contribution.



Learn more

raised
€3 710

goal
€5 974

Applications are open!

The third round of applications are now open for our Empowering Media and Society through Collaborative, Crowdfunded Journalism project, in partnership with FPU, FEE and Prague Media School.

This is your chance to get your cross-border, collaborative project backed by crowdfunding!

FIND OUT MORE

Blog posts

View all >
An Turkey’s Istanbul Convention Withdrawal Sheds Light on Gender Bias in Turkish Media

Turkey’s Istanbul Convention Withdrawal Sheds Light on Gender Bias in Turkish Media

On Saturday, 20 March, Turkish people woke up to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to withdraw from the Istanbul treaty, which sparked a tremendous response from Turkish women, who immediately took to the streets demanding a reversal of the decision.
Go to the profile of Pressstart
Press Start team
An Inside Look Into Moldova’s Demographic Decline

An Inside Look Into Moldova’s Demographic Decline

What’s left when people are gone? Press Start journalist Maxim Polyakov undertook a journey to find out through visiting abandoned villages in Moldova, most of them located in the north of the country, near the borders with Ukraine and Romania.
Go to the profile of Pressstart
Ioana Caloianu
Inside South America’s Black Market for Jaguar Parts

Inside South America’s Black Market for Jaguar Parts

Following months of investigation supported by Press Start donors, Peruvian journalist and filmmaker Eduardo Franco Berton uncovered the…
Go to the profile of PressStart
Lenka Kurejkova

Are you a journalist?

Do you have a great idea for a story, but no funds to pursue it?
We are seeking talented candidates who need support for original projects.

APPLY TODAY

Completed Campaigns

View all >

Selling Nuclear: Fact-checking the Nuclear Seven

Christiana Mauro, Thomas Brent, Lucie Čejková

We are at a turning point that will potentially decide the future of nuclear power in Europe for generations. The ‘Green Taxonomy’ on sustainable finance is a European set of policy initiatives that aim for climate neutrality by 2050. It will create a system that environmentalists have been demanding for decades, designed to direct investments towards climate-friendly industries and end greenwashing activities that actually harm the environment. Last year, the leaders of seven member states wrote a letter to the European Commission calling for the inclusion of nuclear power in the list of climate-friendly, sustainable activities that will receive investment; a group of 87 members of the European Parliament did the same. A team of journalists will fact-check the claims in the letter by asking a range of independent nuclear and economic experts to weigh in on the pressing debate about the ”greenness” of nuclear power.

MF Through a grant from the European Commission (EC), we will match every amount you donate, up to 2,000 euros total. The total will be regularly updated to reflect the EC's contribution.



Learn more
FUNDED

raised
€5 715

goal
€5 686

Media and Migration: The Power of Words

Melis Karabulut, Zsófia Fülöp, Rea Nefeli Tzanetakou

With the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Europe is tackling yet another migration crisis. This time, the media’s language toward refugees seems more humane than it was in 2015.
Three journalists from the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Greece have joined forces to uncover the reasons why the media dehumanizes diverse groups of refugees. We will investigate the media’s role and interview migrants, social workers, political scientists, and historians to understand the reasons behind the growth of anti-migrant policies and discrimination against different ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups of migrants; and how and why they have been reflected in the media.

MF Through a grant from the European Commission (EC), we will match every amount you donate, up to 2,000 euros total. The total will be regularly updated to reflect the EC's contribution.



Learn more
FUNDED

raised
€5 237

goal
€5 230

Following the Money: Investigating the EU Recovery Fund

Bianca Albu, Ivan Radev, Oana Despa

Millions of euros in European Union funds are being spent on COVID-19 equipment in Romania and Bulgaria. But who are the firms that are receiving the funds? Are their products overpriced? Are suspicions of corruption well-founded? Two investigative journalists from Romania and one from Bulgaria are ready to trace the money trail and find out whether the recovery funds from the EU budget were spent appropriately or not. We expect to deliver a series of articles and a step-by-step blueprint for how such investigations can be replicated in any EU member state.

MF Through a grant from the European Commission (EC), we will match every amount you donate, up to 1,000 euros total. The total will be regularly updated to reflect the EC's contribution.



Learn more
FUNDED

raised
€9 215

goal
€6 280

How It Works

“Political, business or criminal interests in many countries intimidate journalists or otherwise restrict their access to information. Press Start is a tremendous opportunity for people to make an impact: every new story reveals some truth that helps remove the blinders keeping citizens in the dark.”

Gary Regenstreif, Chairman, Press Start Advisory Board; Executive Editor, S&P Global Market Intelligence; former Editor at Large, Reuters.

"There are so many dark corners of the planet where good journalism is needed to shine light to make a difference in people's lives. That's what so impressive about Press Start – a straightforward way for all of us to support and fund this sort of journalism and the very brave men and women who practice it."

Danforth Austin, former vice president, The Wall Street Journal

"In an interconnected world, it's not charity to support honest journalism. It's common sense."

David Rennie, Washington bureau chief, The Economist

"Press Start is about giving journalists a platform and financing to tell the important stories about their countries."

Raphael Minder, correspondent, The New York Times

What Makes Press Start Different?

Support for Individual Journalists

The site targets a specific niche of reporters working solely in emerging democracies and the developing world who will mainly produce articles in local languages for local impact.

Outreach

We will search out and highlight reporters who would not have the capacity (international contacts, language skills, promotional experience) to crowdfund on their own.

Careful Screening

We will profile only those journalists who have been vetted for their independence and the quality of their reporting, working hand-in-hand with our local partners.

A Personal Touch

We will create evocative profiles of journalists, with extensive information on them and their commitment to report despite obstacles, to better resonate with potential donors.

Collective Impact

We are forming close partnerships with like-minded organizations around the world and working together to achieve collective impact.