Foundations
This page contains a comprehensive list of donors and funders for media development. The page is regularly updated with new entries.
All description and entries are taken from the sites of the featured agencies or organisations. We endeavour to update the profiles every 6 months. For the most up-to-date information please visit the website of the relevant organisation.
Adessium Foundation is a Dutch grantmaking organization founded by commodities trader Gerard van Vliet that provides grants to left-leaning organizations across the world. Adessium means “to bring into being.”
Priorities related to media development and journalism: Adessium Foundation promotes the search for truth, the availability of quality information, and public discourse in a digital environment. The initiatives they support focus on journalistic research, public awareness, and advocacy.
Geographical priorities: The foundation supports organizations in the Netherlands, as well as initiatives targeting the European community and the factors that affect it.
Type of funding: Core Funding. In addition to financial contributions, Adessium Foundation provides organizational support focused on strengthening grantees’ capacity.
Funding opportunities: The foundation reaches out to their (potential) beneficiaries themselves and invite them to submit an application. They do not accept unsolicited project proposals but proactively explore the charity sector and make choices based on their strategic framework.
Asia Centre is a not-for-profit organisation that seeks to create social impact in the region. It serves as a think-tank, meeting space, project partner and social enterprise. Asia Centre was first established in 2015 in Bangkok, Thailand and in 2018, a second branch was registered in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: Asia Centre undertakes evidence-based research to produce knowledge toolkits such as books, baseline studies, reports, policy briefs, commentaries, info-graphics and video-slideshows. It also organises events such as conferences, roundtables seminars and workshops for the capacity building of stakeholders and undertakes advocacy through social media and media engagement.
Geographical priorities: Asia
Type of funding: Awards and Prizes
Funding opportunities: Asia Centre is inviting nominations for the 2021-2022 Journalism for an Equitable Asia Award under the theme ‘Inequality-threat to lives and livelihoods’, to recognize journalism that has highlighted the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives and livelihoods of disadvantaged groups including women, ethnic, religious and gender minorities, migrant and informal workers.
The Asia Foundation is a non-profit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia. Working through the offices in 18 countries and informed by deep local expertise and six decades of experience, they address the critical issues affecting Asia in the 21st century by: strengthening governance, expanding economic opportunity, increasing environmental resilience, empowering women, and promoting international cooperation.
Geographical priorities: Asian countries
Type of funding: Grants, Fellowships and Scholarships
Funding opportunities: You can find out more about The Asia Foundation Development Fellows Program here.
Created in 2000 by Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, and his wife Melinda, the foundation in their name works to “help all people lead healthy, productive lives. With a trust endowment of $40.3 billion, it is the world’s largest private foundation.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: Since its founding in 2000, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has spent more on media partnerships than almost any other philanthropy organisation.
The Foundation was slated to spend $20 million on media grants in 2018 with additional funding going to an insights team that conducts media research. Much of the budget for media grants is administered by the foundation’s Global Media Partnerships and often directly subsidizes reporting on less frequently covered topics such as health and development.
The foundation focuses primarily on development, sustainable development goals, global health, and gender equality, making it a priority to respond to the market failure of coverage on global health and development issues.
Geographical priorities: The foundation’s grant making is done through four program divisions, namely the Global Development Program, the Global Health Program, the United States Program and the Global Policy and Advocacy Program.
Type of funding: Programmatic and Core grants.
Funding opportunities: The Global Media Partnership portfolio, where the bulk of media funding resides, is located in the foundation’s Program Advocacy and Communications team with the Global Policy and Advocacy division.
Bloomberg Philanthropies works to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people by focusing on five key areas: the arts, education, the environment, government innovation, and public health.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: The Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa, launched in 2014, provides cross disciplinary education programs and mid-career fellowships to increase the number of highly-trained business and financial journalists, convene pan-African forums to examine worldwide media best practices and support research to stimulate media innovations.
Geographical priorities: Bloomberg Philanthropies works to improve the lives of millions of people in more than 810 cities and 170 countries. In 2020, Bloomberg Philanthropies invested $1.6 billion around the world.
Type of funding: Core grants. Bloomberg Philanthropies works with existing partners on all of their key initiatives and does not make grants outside their focus areas or directly to individuals
Funding opportunities: Grant proposals are by invitation only and news on grants competitions are posted regularly on their website.
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is a leading private philanthropic institution which contributes to a more just and united society preparing citizens of the future. It is committed to full independence and preservation of its heritage, and its main priority is defined as the development of a society that provides equal opportunities and that is sustainable. The Foundation’s main purpose is to improve the quality of life through art, charity, science, and education.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: The Foundation promotes and manages The European Media and Information Fund (EMIF) in partnership with the European University Institute. The European Media and Information Fund pursues objectives of public interest and provides grants, on a competitive basis, to researchers, fact-checkers, not-for-profits and other public interest-oriented organisations working on disinformation research and strengthening media literacy and fact-checking.
Geographical priorities: Worldwide
Type of funding: Grants, Core grants, Programmatic, Awards, and Scholarships.
Funding opportunities: The EMIF supports fact-checking and media literacy initiatives, as well as fundamental research projects, with a view to addressing the phenomenon of online disinformation in Europe and promoting a more resilient and fact-based digital information ecosystem. The 4 key areas of the projects supported by this fund are:
- Media Literacy
- Online Disinformation
- Fact-checking
- Academic research into media, disinformation, and information literacy
Funding is available to organisations based in European countries, including namely the EU, EFTA and UK, and whose focus of activities is on the mentioned countries.
Also, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation promotes and supports programmes that reflect on themes of contemporary society, looking for innovative answers to the problems of the current world, and offers prizes like The Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity.
Candid is an organization that collects data, conducts research, and publishes news on nonprofit organizations.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: Candid has no particular priority related to journalism. Through research, collaboration, and training, it connects different nonprofits, foundations, and individuals to the resources they need to do good, building on 88 years of dedicated experience.
Geographical priorities: Candid support the millions of people across the world who depend on different programs and services to make the world a better place.
Type of funding: The organisation provides no funding, but provides a set of resources and database to help you gain the knowledge you need to win funding from funders throughout the world.
Funding opportunities: Through research, Candid provides nonprofit data and resources to donors and several organizations, including academia.
For over 50 years, the Compton Foundation has supported work in climate change, progressive foreign policy, and reproductive rights and justice. The foundation supports transformative leadership and courageous storytelling, inspiring action toward a peaceful, just, and sustainable future.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: The Compton Foundation believes that there is a need for compelling stories about who we are, how we should live, and our purpose on this planet. This moment of global transition requires translation. "How can we imagine a new world without sharing brilliant stories about what the future could be—how it might taste, smell, sound, and feel?" One of two main strategic priorities in their grantmaking is therefore 'courageous storytelling' which aims to:
- Disrupt our understanding of the status quo, or give voice to previously unheard narratives.
- Use visual art, music, drama, film, writing, and creative social media to amplify critical issues and to blend personal with political, emotional with intellectual.
Geographical priorities: Worldwide
Type of funding: Grants
Funding opportunities: The Compton Foundation’s grantmaking is done by invitation only. They have a commitment to long-term, relationship-based grantmaking, and approximately two-thirds of their grantmaking budget in their final years of activity ( end in 2027) will be allocated to sizable, multi-year, general operating support grants to longtime grant partners.
The Democracy and Media Foundation is the successor of Stichting Het Parool, founded in 1944 by the founders of the illegal resistance newspaper Het Parool. After the privatisation of the post-war newspaper in 2003, Stichting Het Parool changed its name to Stichting Democratie en Media (SDM) – in English the Democracy and Media Foundation (DMF).
Priorities related to media development and journalism: DMF supports organisations, projects and other types of initiatives that also invest in critical, independent media and a strong, just constitutional democracy. It achieves this among others through grants, (external) organisational advise and by connecting different initiatives with each other.
Geographical priorities: The foundation is primarily focused on Dutch projects but is open to collaboration with organisations and initiatives outside of the Netherlands, whose objectives fit those of the foundation. For instance, the foundation is one of the initiators of the European Press Prize, a European prize for quality journalism that was launched in 2012.
Type of funding: Programmatic
The Democracy and Media Foundation grants financial support to projects, organisations or individuals that contribute to the realisation of its objectives and includes publications, lectures, documentaries, exhibitions or training programs for journalists. This support may consist of a subsidy, a loan or another form of investment.
Funding opportunities: As DMF is in the process of working out the details of its new strategy, it will not issue its usual Calls for Proposals. The organisation is, however, still open to good ideas that contribute to independent, critical media and/or a strong, just, fair and democratic state. (As of 06/09/2022)
Established by the US Congress in 1960, the East-West Center serves as a resource for information and analysis on critical issues of common concern, bringing people together to exchange views, build expertise, and develop policy options. The Center is an independent, public, nonprofit organization with funding from the US government, and additional support provided by private agencies, individuals, foundations, corporations, and governments in the region.
Over nearly 60 years of serving as a US-based institution for public diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific region with international governance, staffing, students, and participants, the Center has built a worldwide network of 65,000 alumni and more than 1,100 partner organizations.
Geographical priorities: Global. The foundation currently maintain a worldwide network with 33 international offices at 32 locations.
Type of funding: Scholarships
Programs opportunities: The Asia Pacific Media Initiative (APMI) engages, empowers, and trains young leaders, journalists, and policy influencers to build information networks, reliable sources, and practical strategies for identifying and responding to disinformation; strengthens reporting on environmental issues throughout Southeast Asia; and increases media sustainability for newsrooms in the Pacific Islands.
Housed within the Professional Development Program, the APMI program includes the following major activity areas:
The Pacific Island Media Initiatives: Free, open, and sustainable societies require a strong and professional media industry with impactful journalists to thrive. Since October 2020, 16 media outlets across 11 Pacific Island countries have been able to republish content from the New York Times as part of a partnership between the East-West Center (EWC) and the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR). By providing media outlets with non-biased, world-class journalism from the ‘newspaper of record’ in the United States, which they can republish to supplement their local news coverage, the project is strengthening media outlets and helping counter the proliferation of misinformation and biased reporting on social media. So far the media outlets have primarily used Times articles related to the 2020 U.S. elections, the COVID-19 pandemic, global news (including developments within Britain's Royal Family), and the environment. In addition to the licenses, all members of the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) are being provided with online subscriptions to the New York Times and being invited to a series of exclusive webinars.
The ERSTE Foundation empowers initiatives for change, contributes to civil society development and regional progression. The foundation initiates and acts as an innovative driver, connector, and knowledge disseminator.
ERSTE Foundation is a creative workshop for ideas and innovation, a lab for topics of the future which increases its effectiveness through strategic cooperation with networks. Their activities focus on four strategic goals: :
- Empower those who care;
- Financial health for all;
- Preserve a democratic Europe;
- Protect contemporary culture.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: The ERSTE Foundation have co-founded a cross-border journalistic platform called Reporting Democracy. Independent journalists research and question the topics, trends and events that are shaping the future of democracy in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. Reporting Democracy publishes reports, interviews and analyses by correspondents from 14 countries. Journalists on the ground receive commissions and grants for in-depth reports and research.
Geographical priorities: As the main shareholder of Erste Group ERSTE Foundation secures the independent future of one of the largest financial services providers in Central, Eastern, and South-Eastern Europe. As a private Austrian savings banks foundation, the foundation is committed to serving the common good. They invest parts of their dividends into the region in which Erste Group operates.
Type of funding: Grants, Core grants, Programmatic, Awards, and Scholarships.
Funding opportunities: Differents types of opportunities based on their mains focus areas listed above. The foundation provides :
- an academy for NGOs with the largest management capacity-building programme for civil society organisations in Central and Eastern Europe,
- and many others programs and tools.
Established in Sion in 2011, the Nicolas Puech Foundation is a private foundation under Swiss law.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: The Foundation supports programmes that encourage enlightened public debate based on reliable, accurate information
Key participants in the public debate often expose themselves to considerable risk and are therefore especially in need of support and protection. The Foundation awards grants to organisations that make it their mission to defend and assist those individuals.
Type of Funding: Programmatic
The Foundation's determines the size of the grant based on the needs, quality and specific nature of each project. The largest grant awarded by the Foundation to date is CHF 50,000.
The Foundation awards grants primarily to organisations, associations, institutions or foundations.
The Foundation does not fund study grants or academic research projects.
The Foundation does not provide direct financial support to individuals.
Funding opportunities: Applications are reviewed throughout the year, with no specific deadline, and can be written in English or French. Applicants will generally hear back within six weeks after the request has been received.
The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the mission of advancing human welfare. It was founded in 1936 with an initial grant from Edsel Ford, Henry Ford’s son to be used “for scientific, educational and charitable purposes, all for the public welfare.”
Priorities related to media development and journalism: Funding for media development falls under the Freedom of Expression portfolio because “The free flow of information and ideas is essential to healthy, progressive societies. Our work offers space for creative expression and supports efforts to ensure that media systems and policies are open and equitable,” according to the Ford Foundation website.
Geographical priorities: The Ford Foundation has a global scope. It seeks to invest in transformative ideas, individuals and institutions to catalyze leaders and organizations driving social justice and building movements across the globe.
Type of funding: Core Grants. Ford's funding prioritizes initiatives/ideas aimed at fighting inequality.
Funding opportunities: The foundation has an online, searchable grants database that provides good funding information you might need.
Based on the principles of liberalism, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom offers political education in Germany and abroad. With the events and publications, they help people to become actively involved in political affairs. They support talented young students with scholarships. Since 2007, the addition "for freedom" has become an established part of the foundation's name. They have been doing this since their foundation on May 19th, 1958.
Geographical scope: Global
Type of funding: Scholarships
Funding opportunities: based on the idea of liberalism, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom provides scholarships on political education in Germany and around the world.
The Fritt Ord Foundation is a private non-profit foundation that seeks to promote freedom of expression, public debate, art and culture. The work of a foundation is different from the work of an activist or special interest organisation. They primarily operate by funding the ideas, projects and initiatives of others. Fritt Ord itself also organises events and debates that address timely social issues, the culture of freedom of expression, non-fiction prose, documentary films and journalism/media research.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: Fritt Ord Foundation supports journalism on a wide variety of topics that are important for the social debate and the public. Their highest priority is investigative journalism or journalism that calls for extra resources for other reasons. Local journalism and social debates in media all across the country are also important to Fritt Ord, as are criticism and reviews. The foundation supports journalism on all platforms – newspapers, magazines, journals, podcasts, radio and TV. Media debates, media conferences and media research also benefit from some funding. Fritt Ord has a separate annual grant for Norwegian journalists to study at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University in England.
Geographical priorities: The projects that receive funding should benefit the Norwegian public and be accessible to all. For this reason most project funding goes to Norwegian organisations. However, in special cases, the Fritt Ord Foundation can help promote freedom of expression in other countries.
Type of funding: Grants, Study grants, and Awards.
Funding opportunities: There are six rounds of project applications each year, meaning that it does not take long to get an answer. Fritt Ord often contributes support in the early stages of new projects.The projects that receive funding should benefit the Norwegian public and be accessible to all. In special cases, the Fritt Ord Foundation can help promote freedom of expression in other countries.
In addition to grants in response to applications, the Fritt Ord Foundation takes a number of its own initiatives in Norway and abroad. Fritt Ord also offers awards support for projects that help promote freedom of expression, public discourse, art, and culture. The measures supported should contribute to the common good and be available to the public.
The Gazeta Wyborcza Foundation, based in Poland, was established in 2019 to promote media freedom and integrity. The foundation aims to develop independent journalism through broadly understood educational and cultural activities. Projects realised within the Foundation are nationwide and international, and are achieved in collaboration with the biggest media in Europe.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: The foundation promotes social initiatives and citizen projects along with all activities aimed at broadening journalistic freedom, upgrading the quality of journalism, developing education and critical thinking.
Their aim is cultural and educational work in journalism, art and culture in Poland and abroad, as well as the integration of the scientific, journalistic, arts and business communities in the most important topics of the modern world – peace, freedom, democracy and civil rights.
Geographical priorities: Poland and Europe
Type of funding: Programmatic
Funding opportunities:
In the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the spread of disinformation by the occupant, the Gazeta Wyborcza Foundation and its partners established a Fund for Ukraine dedicated to direct support of journalists and publishers in the war zone.
The current capital of the Fund amounts to €410.000.
The collected funds are being used to purchase the equipment necessary for journalists working in war zones, financial support for journalists and media organizations in Ukraine, and the relocation of journalists to Poland and other EU countries. To this end, the foundation is cooperating with the media and organizations in Ukraine and other parts of Europe.
The GroundTruth Project is an award-winning, independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization dedicated to supporting the next generation of journalists in the U.S. and around the world.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: Their mission is to serve under-covered communities by supporting the next generation of journalists to do on-the-ground reporting and to advance sustainability, innovation and equity in journalism worldwide
Geographical priorities: Worldwide
Type of funding: Fellowship, Grants
Funding opportunities: GroundTruth is building an engaged community around impactful journalism and powerful storytelling by a new generation, while supporting their careers as fellows, corps members and alumni. Since GroundTruth launched, they have supported more than 300 reporting fellows across more than 50 countries, as well as more than 300 Report for America corps members embedded in local newsrooms across the United States. This year, they launched Report for the World in Brazil, India and Nigeria.
The Helsingin Sanomat Foundation is a private, non-profit organization. Its purpose is to promote and support high-level research and the implementation of freedom of speech.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: The purpose of the Helsingin Sanomat Foundation is to secure the future of Finnish media and quality journalism as well as to support freedom of speech.
The Helsingin Sanomat Foundation promotes and supports research in the communications and the communications industry and interdisciplinary futures research.
Geographical priorities: Finland
Type of funding: Grants, Fellowships, and Awards.
Funding opportunities: The foundation finances post-doctoral projects that are linked to the communications industry. In addition, the Foundation awards fellowships to Finnish journalists who are in the middle of their careers to enable them to study at top universities abroad. The Helsingin Sanomat Foundation distributes grants throughout the year. Decisions are made approximately three times a year and the outcome is informed via the grant application system.
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation is a nonpartisan, private charitable foundation that advances ideas and supports institutions to promote a better world.
For more than 50 years, they have supported efforts to advance education for all, preserve the environment, improve lives and livelihoods in developing countries, promote the health and economic well-being of women, support vibrant performing arts, strengthen Bay Area communities and make the philanthropy sector more effective.
The foundation was established in 1966 by engineer and entrepreneur William R. Hewlett and his wife, Flora Lamson Hewlett, with their eldest son, Walter Hewlett.
Today, it is one of the largest philanthropic institutions in the United States, awarding $465,869,000 in grants in 2020 to organisations across the globe to help people build better lives. Their philanthropic approach, and core areas of grantmaking, remain connected to the ethos and values of their founders.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: The Global Development and Population Program makes grants to expand women’s reproductive and economic choices, amplify citizen participation, and improve policymaking through evidence. The foundation has made grants ranging from $27,000-1,200,000 to various media and media support organisations over the years.
Geographical priorities: Global
Type of funding: Programmatic
Funding opportunities: The foundation makes grants to a broad range of institutions – from research universities contributing to public knowledge and performing arts centres engaging local diverse communities, to grassroots organisations representing millions of individuals and multilateral groups working on international development.
At any one time, more than 2,250 Hewlett Foundation grants are active. In 2020, the foundation awarded $465,869,000 in grants and disbursed $471,308,000 in grant payments. As of December 31, 2020, the foundation’s assets were approximately $13.3 billion.
The Heinrich Böll Foundation supports projects that aim to foster democracy and uphold human rights, take action to prevent the destruction of the global ecosystem, advance equality between women and men, secure peace through conflict prevention in crisis zones, and defend the freedom of individuals against excessive state and economic power. They maintain close ties to the German Green Party (Alliance 90/The Greens) and, as a think tank for green visions and projects, are part of an international network encompassing partner projects in approximately 60 countries. The Heinrich Böll Foundation works independently and nurtures a spirit of intellectual openness.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: Heinrich Böll's encouragement of civil society interference in politics is a model for the work of the foundation. Its primary task is political education in Germany and abroad to promote the democratic will, the socio-political commitment and international understanding. It is guided by the basic political values of ecology, democracy, solidarity, and nonviolence. The foundation is particularly interested in the realization of a democratic immigration society as well as gender democracy as a relationship of the sexes that is free of dependence and domination.
The foundation's Transatlantic Media Fellowships programme has for several years supported well-researched transatlantic journalism. In 2020, the Heinrich Böll Foundation supported a selected number of journalists and publicists from the US and Europe for an independent, minimum five-day, transatlantic trip to research stories relevant to the foundation’s work on policies in 4 fields: energy & climate; transition in agriculture; democracy, human rights and social policy, as well as foreign and security policy. Fellowships are selected annually and are open to journalists and publicists in any medium. Please note that eligibility criteria differ by issue area and may vary between participating regional and national offices.
Geographical priorities: Global. The foundation currently maintain a worldwide network with 33 international offices at 32 locations.
Type of funding: Scholarships and stipends
The Independent News Emergency Relief Coordination (INERC) was an effort to help funders willing and able to provide significant financial support for independent news media better understand where the need was greatest and coordinate their efforts to make the greatest possible difference during COVID-19.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: INERC was based on the idea that better information on the need for and supply of emergency funding relief can help ensure this relief is more effectively distributed globally and avoid a situation where a few well-known news media get a lot of support from many different funders while many more equally important but less well known get little or no support.
Geographical priorities: Collecting data to identify areas of greatest need from independent news media across the world, including both for-profit and non-profit, but excluding government-controlled and state-owned media was at the heart of INERC priorities.
Type of funding: INERC did not provide funding per se. It directly connected several major funders, networks organizing independent news media, media development organizations, and research capacity to enable more effective and informed coordinated emergency relief.
Funding opportunities: INERC was a temporary initiative, initially planned for six months, and supplement the important work done by others to coordinate media funding and media development. INERC came to an end on 31 October 2020.
The International Women's Media Foundation, located in Washington, D.C., is an organization working internationally to elevate the status of women in the media. The IWMF has created programs to help women in the media develop practical solutions to the obstacles they face in their careers and lives.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: IWMF believes that promoting the work and advancing the role of women in the news media across the globe is critical to transparency and a diversity of voices.
Geographical priorities: Global
Type of funding: Programmatic
Funding opportunities: IWMF has a host of funds catering to specific needs and topics.
Journalismfund is the first independent non-profit organisation, established in 1998 with the purpose of stimulating independent investigative journalism in Europe.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: Facilitating independent cross-border investigative journalism by connecting donors and journalists in order to promote democracy in Europe.
Geographical priorities: Facilitating independent cross-border investigative journalism by connecting donors and journalists in order to promote democracy in Europe.
Type of funding: Programmatic and core grants
Funding opportunities: Journalismfund provides several funding opportunities related to their priorities including: European Cross-border, modern slavery unveiled, science journalism and journalismfund.eu.
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung is a political foundation committed to peace, freedom and justice through political education, both nationally and internationally.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: Konrad Adenauer Stiftung supports young journalists in special projects. They have been awarding local journalist award since 1980. Since 2002, the "Social Market Economy Award of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation" has honored personalities who have been outstanding in their commitment to the preservation and further development of the social market economy.
Geographical priorities: Nationally and internationally, the foundation is committed to peace, freedom and justice through political education. The consolidation of democracy, the promotion of European integration, the intensification of transatlantic relations and development cooperation are their particular concerns.
As a think tank and consulting agency, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung develops scientific foundations and up-to-date analyses for political action. The Academy of the Foundation in Berlin is the forum for dialogue on future-relevant issues between politics, business, church, society and science.
Type of funding: Awards, Prizes and Scholarships.
Funding opportunities: Applications for funding to be considered by the Foundation should be forwarded to KAS’s Kenya office no later than September of the year prior to that in which funding is requested.
Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. The Foundation invests in journalism, arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: Knight Foundation supports the First Amendment and the crucial role of journalism in a democracy to inform the community. They believe journalistic organizations must be sustainable in order to be consistently independent.
The Foundation invests in building a sustainable future for independent local journalism so the community can pursue its true interests.
Geographical priorities: The Knights formed Knight Foundation to promote excellence in journalism and the success of the communities in which they worked, in the words of Jim Knight.
U.S. domestic programs receive the bulk of the foundation’s funding. International funding has receded in recent years, although some foundation support to U.S. organizations has an international component.
Type of funding: Programmatic and core grants.
Funding opportunities: The foundation seeks innovative ideas that advance informed and engaged communities. To apply for funding, you need to submit a brief letter of inquiry.
Headquartered in Brussels, the King Baudouin Foundation (KBF) is a European foundation that is active in Belgium, Europe and internationally. The foundation has developed an extensive network across the world as a leading actor in cross-border philanthropy. This network, which is constantly developing, is an essential tool for philanthropists wishing to act for the common good, in their own country and/or abroad.
KBF's activities cover eight programmes that serve the public interest. Each of these programmes is divided into various sub-programmes combining various working methods in order to maximise impact on society.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: The Social Engagement programme's sub-programme 'Strengthening the NGO Sector' provides structural support to associations to boost their impact, stimulate the digital transformation of the voluntary sector and make effective tools of governance available.
Under its International programme KBF supports philanthropists and donors (citizens, businesses and organisations) that wish to act in support of the public interest internationally on whichever continent(s) and in whichever field(s) of activity. In the countries of the Global South, they support local projects and actors of change who contribute to the development of their country.
Type of funding: Grants
Funding opportunities: Organisations and citizens working for the common good in numerous fields such as health, the fight against poverty, the environment and heritage, in Belgium as well as internationally, can access funding calls on the dedicated KBF Call for Proposals page. The Foundation’s support is generally financial, but may also be in the form of coaching, made-to-measure support and networking.
The King Baudouin Foundation can also provide logistical and practical support for fundraising in Belgium, Europe, and/or internationally (e.g. in the USA, Canada and Asia).
The Lenfest Institute was founded in 2016 by the late cable television entrepreneur H.F. (Gerry) Lenfest. Lenfest gifted to the Institute an initial endowment of $20 million, which has since been supplemented by other donors, for investment in innovative news initiatives, new technology, and new models for sustainable journalism. Lenfest also gifted his ownership of The Philadelphia Inquirer to the Institute.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: Quality, in-depth reporting remains the fundamental value proposition between local news organizations and their audiences. The Lenfest Institute invests in indispensable, public-benefit journalism for the communities it serves. Key priorities include:
- High-Impact Journalism;
- News Technology & Innovation;
- Diverse, Growing Audiences;
Geographical priorities: The Lenfest Institute is an innovator and a change agent developing scalable solutions across Philadelphia’s news ecosystem that apply nationwide. Starting at home, The Lenfest Institute is building viable, replicable models for sustainable local news enterprises across the US.
Type of funding: Grants
Funding opportunities: The Lenfest Institute supports both the digital transformation of heritage news organizations and entrepreneurial news innovators. Its venture-inspired investment strategy is hands-on, kindling experimentation and entrepreneurship in news enterprises large and small. Sign up for the Institute’s email newsletter to receive updates on grant calls.
The Limelight Foundation was founded in 2021 by John Caspers. Caspers is an internet entrepreneur and one of the co-founders of payment platform Adyen. The organisation is an independent philanthropic foundation, based in the Netherlands.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: The foundation supports a strong and free information ecosystem in the digital age by helping journalism and civil society organizations that are independent of vested interests.
Geographical priorities: Worldwide
Type of funding: Grants, Core grants, and Programmatic.
Funding opportunities: The foundation provides different types and sizes of funding and support, depending on what is needed. They proactively look for funding opportunities that are in line with their mission and do not accept unsolicited proposals. Limelight Foundation funds and supports journalism and civil society organizations that are committed to:
● the production of independent quality information;
● the development of supporting technologies;
● an enabling environment for pluriform and independent information in the public interest.
Established in 2018 by the Omidyar Network, Luminate is a global philanthropic organisation with the goal of empowering people and institutions to work together to build just and fair societies.
Luminate does this by funding and supporting non-profit and for-profit organisations and advocating for policies and actions that will help people participate in and shape the issues affecting their lives, and make those in power more transparent, responsive, and accountable.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: Luminate prioritises delivering impact in four connected areas that underpin strong societies: Civic Empowerment, Data & Digital Rights, Financial Transparency, and Independent Media. The organisation seeks to defend a vibrant, free press that uncovers the truth and holds power to account.
Through its International Fund for Public Interest Media Programme, Luminate calls on international donors and policy makers to recognize the urgency to increase funding to public interest media.
Geographical priorities: Based around the world, Luminate's partners range from pioneering entrepreneurs to courageous global campaigners.
Type of funding: Programmatic and grants
Funding opportunities: Luminate does not accept unsolicited applications. The Foundation identifies potential partners through its own research and diligence, plus its extensive global network.
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: The Foundation's Journalism & Media program seeks to strengthen and sustain an independent media ecosystem that investigates the actions of institutions, explores the implications of policies, challenges social norms, amplifies diverse perspectives, and creates opportunities for individual action and public conversations on urgent contemporary issues.
Geographical priorities: Fields of work in which the Foundation is responsibly winding down its grantmaking includes (1) strengthening human rights protections, advancing government accountability, and improving the reach and quality of justice, and (2) working to reduce maternal mortality and improve the quality of maternal and reproductive health care in India, Mexico, and Nigeria.
Type of funding: Programmatic and grants
Funding opportunities: The Foundation awards the majority of its grants to organizations identified by their staff. Each year they also award grants to individuals through the MacArthur Fellows program, which does not accept applications or nominations. The Grants Management Platform can be found below:
Media Democracy Fund is a project of the New Venture Fund, a US-based 501(c)3 public charity. MDF’s annual grantmaking cycle supports their grantees’ general operations and projects, and maintains the ability to rapidly fund projects that address opportunities or threats as they arise throughout the year.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: MDF is one of the first philanthropies that supports media and technology policy organizations working to advance the public interest and human rights in the digital age.
Geographical priorities: MDF has a global scope. It works closely with funding partners to ensure their funding makes the greatest impact and protects the public's fundamental rights to freely express opinions, mobilize marginalized communities and promote equity for all.
Type of funding: Core grants
Funding opportunities: MDF promotes the work of journalists and public media. But it does not fund journalism training or provide direct assistance or funding to journalism outlets. As an intermediary funder, it rather funds policies that have major impact on digital media.
With its headquarters in New York City, MDIF is a registered not-for-profit corporation with public charity status.
MDIF provides affordable debt and equity financing to independent news and information businesses in countries where access to free and independent media is under threat. The organisation's capital and technical assistance help independent companies to compete with media that represent the interests of governments and the powerful, enabling them to build robust businesses around the values of fact-based news, informed opinion and open debate. They invest in companies from early to growth-stage and operate investments through a fund structure.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: MDIF invests in independent media around the world providing the news, information and debate that people need to build free, thriving societies. The organisation works with businesses from early-stage ventures to established players seeking to expand audience or revenues, and with companies that lack access to investment capital.
The organisation's Media Advisory Services equips clients with the information they need to make critical decisions about the direction of their business.
MDIF is also partnering with a consortium of other media development organizations in the Protecting Independent Media for Effective Development (PRIMED) programme to support the provision of public interest media in Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Sierra Leone.
Geographical priorities: Since its inception in 1996, MDIF has invested more than $240 million in 128 independent news businesses in 44 countries. MDIF only provides financing in countries that have been approved by their Board of Directors. On receiving an application from a news outlet in a country in which they have not worked, the Board will decide whether it is a country they can work in after analysing its media, legal and business environments. Global (Asia 40%, Europe 35%, Latin A 20%, Africa 5%)
Type of funding: Loans and equity for Business Development
Funding opportunities: The purpose of MDIF funding is mostly business development which ranges from financing the launch of new products to working capital.
Applying for financing is a detailed process - it is a major commitment for a news company and for MDIF. They select clients based on three broad criteria: mission impact in relation to investment; potential for long-term viability; and editorial integrity.
Stiftung Mercator is a private and independent foundation. Through its work, it supports and develops projects that improve participation and cohesion in an increasingly diverse society.
Stiftung Mercator wants:
Geographical priorities: Activities in Germany, Europe and worldwide; it has a particular affinity with the Ruhr area, the home of its founding family and of the foundation’s headquarters.
Type of funding: Programmatic and core grants.
Funding opportunities: Stiftung Mercator selects projects to fund that help to achieve the sociopolitical objectives set in their thematic clusters and fields of activity.
The Nieman Foundation began as a fellowship for select journalists who were invited to spend an academic year at Harvard in pursuit of individual study plans to strengthen their knowledge and leadership skills. Its primary goal is to promote and elevate the standards of journalism. Since 1938, the program has awarded Nieman fellowships to more than 1,500 journalists from nearly 100 countries.
Geographical Scope: Global
Type of funding: Fellowships
Fellowships at Neiman Foundation: Each year, the Nieman Foundation awards paid fellowships to up to 24 journalists working in print, broadcast, digital and audiovisual media with at least five years of full-time media experience. Furthermore, Neiman fellows receive a stipend of $80,000 paid over a nine-month period to cover living costs.
Funding opportunities: The Nieman Visiting Fellowships at Harvard offer both long-term and short-term research opportunities to individuals interested in working on special projects designed to advance journalism. Since this initiative’s inception in 2012, the program has awarded 69 visiting fellowships. In response to the coronavirus pandemic and the movement for racial justice, the Nieman Foundation dedicated the 2021 fellowships to projects that advance racial justice and public health journalism in the U.S.
NewsMatch is the largest grassroots campaign to support nonprofit news in the U.S. Since 2016, the campaign has helped raise over $150 million to jumpstart emerging newsrooms and support independent media outlets that produce fact-based, nonpartisan news and information.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: The organisation's long-term vision is to ensure relevant and reliable news for every community across the U.S. by strengthening the financial sustainability of nonprofit news outlets that serve them. NewsMatch has four intersecting strategic priorities to achieve this goal:
- 1.Dramatically increase the number of people that support nonprofit journalism
- 2.Grow local and regional investments from large donors and philanthropic institutions
- 3.Develop and strengthen sustainable fundraising capabilities within newsrooms
- 4.Increase awareness and public support for nonprofit journalism.
Geographical Priorities: USA only
Type of Funding: Programmatic and Core
Funding Opportunities: NewsMatch is open to nonprofit news organizations that are active members of the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) (Please note: US news organisations only). The deadline to apply for INN membership in time to apply for NewsMatch 2021 is July 7, 2021. Explore INN membership.
Both active, prospective, and pending INN members must apply to participate in NewsMatch 2021 by the application deadline. The NewsMatch application window will open in June 2021. Subscribe to INN’s INNovation newsletter to receive notification of the NewsMatch application process and deadline when it is announced.
In 2021, NewsMatch will concentrate the distribution of dollar-for-dollar match funds amongst newsrooms that have operating expenses below $1 million in the prior calendar year (January 1 to December 31, 2020).
North Base Media (NBM) is a global venture investment firm that has pioneered in digital media investment over the last decade.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: North Base Media specializes in independently owned media or technologies that enable consumers to participate in their countries’ civic, cultural and economic life.
Geographical priorities: The capital firm supports digital startups focused on news, business information, sports and gaming, entertainment media, and other digital-driven opportunities in growth markets around the world.
Their portfolio includes Rappler, a Philippines-based digital media company founded by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa and Taiwanese independent news and commentary site The News Lens.
Type of funding: Core funding
The Oak Foundation is a Non-governmental organizations committed to social justice. In all its work Oak pursues rights-based approaches, gender equality, and partnership with the organisations they fund. The foundation supports civil society as a pillar of democracy & justice and nurtures innovation and visionary leadership within it.
Through its grant-making, Oak Foundation supports others to make the world a safer, fairer, and more sustainable place to live. The Foundation seeks to support innovation, visionary leaders and organisations. committed to social justice.
Geographical priorities: With offices in Europe, India, and North America, the Foundation makes grants to organisations in approximately 40 countries worldwide.
Type of funding: Programmatic and Core grants.
Funding opportunities: Since Oak Foundation was founded in 1983, they have made over 4,650 grants to not-for-profits across the globe. Oak Foundation partner with organisations that work to advance the foundation’s overall mission and the strategic goals within programmes. Each programme has its own funding criteria, geographic scope, and requirements. The Foundation has an invitation-only application process. Therefore, if an organisation believes that strong alignment exists with Oak Foundation’s funding priorities, they encourage the organisation to submit an unsolicited letter of enquiry. Oak Foundation will invite the organisation to apply for a grant if they also find alignment with their funding priorities and if there is an available budget.
They occasionally develop or join initiatives in our areas of interest by issuing calls for proposals on their website or convening policymakers and practitioners to explore solutions to critical issues.
The Francophonie refers to men and women who share a common language: French. We estimate over 300 million French speakers across five continents. The Francophonie is also an institution, dedicated since 1970 to promoting the French language and political, educational, economic and cultural cooperation among the 88 member countries of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) [International Organisation of La Francophonie].
Priorities related to media development and journalism: The OIF implements multilateral francophone cooperation projects alongside the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie [Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie] and four operating agencies: Agence universitaire de la Francophonie [Association of Francophone Universities], TV5MONDE, Association internationale des maires francophones [International Association of Francophone Mayors], and Université Senghor [Senghor University] in Alexandria.
The OIF’s mission mandates are:
- To promote the French language and cultural and linguistic diversity;
- To promote peace, democracy and human rights;
- To support education, training, higher education and research;
- To foster economic cooperation to bolster sustainable development
Geographical priorities: To support projects in francophone countries around the world is the main focus of this organisation.
Type of funding: The financing of projects and the provision of capital goods are among the main types of funding the organisation offer. The programs deployed by the OIF are, for the most part, similar to incubators for development projects, with the support of donors. Made possible by a solid multi-partner approach and by the ownership of member states and governments, they have significant impacts on the ground for the benefit of Francophone populations.
Funding opportunities: Public calls for projects, applications or initiatives are announced by the OIF one or more times a year, within the framework of funds or programs financed by the organization's budget.
The Open Society Foundations (OSF) are the world’s largest private funder of independent groups working or justice, democratic governance, and human rights.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: The Open Society Foundations recognize that independent journalism serves as a check on abuses of power and corruption, and fuels and informs public debates and critical thinking in societies.
The OSF's Program on Independent Journalism (PIJ) works directly with journalists, media outlets, media associations, and media freedom groups “to promote independent and viable media and professional, quality journalism in countries undergoing a process of democratization, and building functioning media markets.
Geographical priorities: Open Society Foundations support independent investigative reporting outlets as well as international networks of investigative journalists across the world.
Type of funding: Programmatic and Core
Funding opportunities: The vast majority of grants are awarded to organizations they approach directly. Other funding opportunities are available through Open Society’s network of national and regional foundations.
The International Renaissance Foundation (IRF) is one of the largest Ukrainian charitable foundations that has been developing an open society in Ukraine since 1990 where everybody has a sense of dignity, citizens are involved in the formation of the state, and the authorities are transparent and responsible. They work on the development of Ukraine in which human rights are securely protected and positive changes work for the benefit of the citizens. The foundation was founded by the philanthropist George Soros and is part of the Open Society Foundations international network.
The Park Foundation was formed in 1966. Its original focus was on education and grant-making in communities where Park Communications had interests. When he died in 1993, Mr. Park bequeathed more than 70 percent of his holdings to the Foundation.
The Foundation is dedicated to the aid and support of education, public broadcasting, environment, and other selected areas of interest to the Park family. Public broadcasting is a particularly meaningful recipient of funding because the Foundation had its origin in the world of communications. More recently, the Foundation’s interest in environmental causes has been refined to focus on issues of freshwater and energy.
Type of funding: Grants and Awards
The Porticus Foundation is the international organisation that manages and develops the philanthropic programmes of charitable entities established by Brenninkmeijer family entrepreneurs. Through their work in education, society, faith, and climate they enable changemakers to create societies and systems that work for everyone.
Geographical priorities: Worldwide; Porticus collaborates with partners around the globe to foster human dignity, social justice, and sustainability.
Type of funding: Grants, Core grants, Programmatic, Awards, and Scholarships.
Reset is a non-profit, philanthropic organisation that both provides grants and contracts, and works programmatically alongside partners with shared policy, technology and advocacy goals. Through Open Calls, Reset supports the individuals, organisations, and communities working around the world to address the damage inflicted by surveillance capitalism on human rights, democracy, and open societies.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: Reset wants to change the way the internet prioritises the spread of news and information so that Big Tech's business model serves the public good instead of purely corporate interests. They believe there is a need to restore the critical connection between media and democracy in order to sustain a polity that is more informed and less divided. They seek to neutralise the threats posed to democracy by digital media monopolies and re-establish the power of information technology as a force for effective self-government.
Type of funding: Funds and Fellowships
Funding opportunities: With their funds and fellowships, Reset helps enable new ideas to surface and flourish by providing funding to projects operating within their core areas of work. The hope is that the technology-focused interventions developed through Open Calls will ultimately help change the way information spreads online and enable the internet to once again serve the public good over corporate interests.
The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting is an American news media organization established in 2006 that sponsors independent reporting on global issues that other media outlets are less willing or able to undertake on their own. The center's goal is to raise the standard of coverage of international systemic crises, and to do so in a way that engages both the broad public and government policymakers.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: The Pulitzer Center raises awareness of underreported global issues through direct support for quality journalism across all media platforms and a unique program of education and public outreach.
Geographical priorities: Global
Type of funding: Grants and Fellowships
Funding opportunities: The Pulitzer Center provides grants to cover the hard costs of reporting projects. Grants are open to all journalists: writers, photographers, radio producers, and filmmakers; staff journalists as well as freelancers.
Grant amounts for journalists depend on the project and range from $3,000 to $20,000. It also brings journalists to schools, colleges and universities around the United States to engage students with global issues. In 2015, it launched an online lesson builder that allows educators use Pulitzer Center journalism in original lessons.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: The organization commemorates one of the most important German journalists of the 20th century; through the foundation’s work, the concerns that motivated their namesake and thought leader Rudolf Augstein can continue to be addressed into the future.
They do this by encouraging critical and independent journalism, improving the starting and development opportunities of disadvantaged children and young people, and enabling artistic experiments.
Geographical priorities: The philanthropic initiative Civitates grants almost 2.5 million euros to 11 independent public-interest journalism organizations in 8 European countries.
Type of funding: Programmatic
Funding opportunities: The foundation does not use calls for application, encouraging unsolicited proposals. Funding opportunities are published on the philanthropic initiative Civitates.
The Sidney Hillman Foundation is an American charitable foundation that awards prizes to journalists who investigate issues related to social justice and progressive public policy. The Sidney Hillman Foundation has sought to illuminate the great issues of the day—from the search for a basis for lasting peace, to the need for better housing, medical care, and employment security for all people, the promotion of civil liberties and the battle against discrimination based on race, nationality, or religion.
Geographical Priorities: United States and Canada
Type of funding: Awards
Funding opportunities: The Sidney Hillman Foundation offers several awards, see here for more information.
The Schöpflin Foundation is committed to helping young people and future generations create a self-reliant life for themselves. The foundation uses social venture capital to allow young people to experiment and spread these ideas throughout civil society.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: The Schöpflin Foundation recognizes that Media diversity is under threat. They believe it is a necessary addition to state-funded and commercial journalism because a free press is a prerequisite for an open society and a vibrant democracy.
Through its various charitable funding activities, the Schöpflin Foundation supports and promotes the building of a sense of critical awareness in children, young people and young adults; equally it supports and promotes strong democracy and its further development.
Geographical priorities: As well as supporting actual journalism projects and initiatives, they also want to support all those business activities that are vitally important for the further development of non-profit journalism in Lörrach in southern Germany and throughout Europe.
Type of funding: Programmatic and Grants
Funding opportunities: Grants are awarded through the Foundation's different funding programme, which can be found below:
The Skoll Foundation gives grants to social entrepreneurs – change makers who use innovative approaches to address difficult social problems. The Foundation’s work is organized around six priority issue areas: environmental sustainability, education, economic opportunity, health, peace and human rights, and sustainable markets.
Priorities related to media development and journalism: The bulk of Skoll’s support goes to entrepreneurs, and thus does not focus on the news media as a sector or on building institutions. However, the foundation gives some support to journalists with the express aim of improving the public’s understanding of entrepreneurship.
Geographical priorities: The Skoll Foundation is a global organization without regional focus. Over the past 12 years, the foundation has invested approximately $800 million worldwide, including the Skoll Award to 144 social entrepreneurs and 116 organizations on five continents.
Funding opportunities: In 2020, the Skoll Foundation and the Skoll Fund awarded a total of $173 million in grants and disbursed $170 million in grant payments. Funding opportunities are published on the organization's website. Information on how and when to apply can be found below:
Recognized as a public utility since 1988, the Varenne Foundation works to support and promote the press and communication professions among journalists, schools and researchers, following in the footsteps of Alexandre Varenne, a lawyer, journalist and major politician of the 20th century.
Type of funding: Awards
Geographical priorities: France (open to foreign journalists in some specific cases)
Priorities related to media development and journalism: The Varenne Foundation encourages and promotes the profession of journalism in all media through the national Varenne Prizes, awarded annually to professional journalists in the print, radio and television media, and to press photographers, by juries made up of the great names in the profession.
Funding opportunities: Awards are given by a jury of professionals. You can find out more about the awards and how to enter here.
The Walkley Foundation was established by Sir William Gaston Walkley and the first awards were handed out in 1956. The foundation's objectives are to recognise great Australian journalism and lift the craft of journalism through professional development.
Type of funding: Grants, Fellowships and Scholarships
The Foundation’s scholarship, fellowship and leadership programs, coupled with Awards programs like the Walkley Young Australian Journalist of the Year, have supported early and mid-career journalists, lowered barriers to entry to the profession for a more diverse group of journalists, and helped ensure that the future of the industry is in good hands.
Funding opportunities: Grants are funded by the Walkley Foundation’s Public Fund. You can find out more about the fund, what they support, and how to donate here.
Sean Dorney Grant for Pacific Journalism: The grant offers up to $10,000 to assist an Australian journalist to produce a significant work of journalism in any medium that gives voice to Pacific island perspectives on an under-reported issue or development of importance to Australia and the region. Find more information and apply here.
Walkley Grants for Freelance Journalism on Regional Australia: Grants worth a total of $89,000 were awarded to seven freelance journalists in 2020. For more information click here.
Judith Neilson Institute Freelance Grants for Asian Journalism: This grant aims to encourage more and better reporting on Asia by Australian media professionals and news outlets. Three grants worth a total of $25,000 were awarded to three freelance journalists in 2020. For more information click here.
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