The new grant awards were the outcome of an open call for proposals that attracted more than 450 expressions of interest by media organizations around the globe. The open call was focused on the theme “Audience First,” with the aim of supporting organizations striving to better meet audience needs.

“We asked this next round of grantees to articulate strategies to better serve existing audiences, or reach new ones, which we expect will also improve their long-term financial resilience,” said Nishant Lalwani, CEO of the International Fund (IFPIM). « We’re excited to be supporting innovation that also makes journalism more relevant and engaging.” he said.

The 20 media organizations, which were awarded grant support for the coming two years, represent a diversity of news platforms, formats and target audiences, ranging from long-standing, traditional print and broadcast news outlets to digital native platforms, and community radio stations.

“The strong response to the International Fund’s call for proposals confirms the very real and urgent demand by media organizations for financial support, at a time when independent journalism is facing enormous challenges,” said Sir Mark Thompson, Co-Chair of the International Fund’s Board, and Chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide. Independent news media directly support freedom of expression and opinion, one of our fundamental human rights. Media organizations also hold governments and other powerful interests to account, through independent, fact-based reporting.”

In some settings, notably media organizations working in Ukraine and Lebanon, grant support will help to sustain editorial news production and audience reach amid ongoing armed conflict. In others, new grantees will be adding coverage in new languages or strengthening their digital presence to better engage their audiences and become more financially resilient in the process. Improving audience reach among young people and underserved communities was a recurring theme among the strategic approaches presented by new grantees, often through investment in new digital formats, such as podcasts, apps, and community events.

New grantees were selected by four independent regional jury panels of journalists and media experts who are familiar with the news ecosystems in which the organizations operate. The grantees were subsequently approved by the Board of the International Fund, which oversees the funding channeled through the organization by 19 governments and philanthropic donors to date.

The International Fund’s investment strategy calls for the organization to launch a next round of calls for proposals in 2025 and to invest an additional USD 150 million during its scale-up phase through 2028. The Fund aims to make grants to at least 300 public interest media organizations in 50 countries, to reach 280 million people with regular, consistent and trustworthy information. For more on the International Fund’s 2024 investment case, see A Moment of Truth, Securing the Survival of Public Interest Media.

Download the press release in ENGLISH, FRENCH, SPANISH, PORTUGUESE, ARABIC

Media Organizations Awarded Grants through the IFPIM 2024 Open Call:

About IFPIM: Launched in 2022, the International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM) is a bold, new multilateral initiative designed to support independent public interest media in low- and middle-income settings. The International Fund’s mission is to ensure that people worldwide live in healthy information ecosystems, with access to journalism that provides societies with information of public interest. To achieve this vision, the Fund aims to dramatically increase the financial resources available to support trustworthy, ethical, fact-based journalism, and to empower a resilient and independent media ecosystem that can work for democracy. In addition, the International Fund’s mission is to foster a paradigm shift in how public interest media is resourced, with the goal of ensuring it is independent, inclusive and resilient. The International Fund supports media organizations and ecosystem-level interventions across four focus regions: Africa and the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe. To date, IFPIM has made 78 grants valued at USD $23m to media organizations in 26 countries.

Media contact:
Rosie Vanek
[email protected]