Initial grantee cohort

For its pilot funding round, the International Fund for Public Interest Media launched an open call for proposals in May 2022, inviting independent media organizations from 17 countries to apply for financial support. Following a review of 200+ proposals, the International Fund selected 13 outlets and one multi stakeholder coalition for grant funding. The inaugural cohort of grantees, representing diverse business models and perspectives, is spread across the International Fund’s focus regions: Africa and the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe. Click on the headings to learn more.

Bush Radio (South Africa) is a pioneer community radio station that has, for three decades, produced independent, non-partisan news with and for the lower-income and indigent communities in South Africa’s Western Cape region. Amidst troubling economic and political conditions for the region’s community media sector, IFPIM funding will help sustain the station’s financial, technical, and human capacity to work at the heart of its community, cover the news that matters most to its listeners, and further expand its audience.

Daraj (Lebanon) stands out as a bold, female-led news producer. Founded on the twin values of truth and independence from political funding and influence, support from the International Fund will enable Daraj to test out new formats and audience engagement strategies in order to expand the reach of its quality, independent journalism among a young Arabic-speaking audience.

DII (Ukraine) has provided uninterrupted coverage across Eastern Ukraine despite the forced relocation of its newsroom in 2014 and 2022. Funding from IFPIM will support continued efforts to provide fact-based quality news coverage and analysis to communities vulnerable to disinformation and propaganda in the occupied regions of Eastern Ukraine and beyond.

Himalmedia (Nepal) has a long track record of holding power to account. After several years of financial difficulties, IFPIM support will help Himalmedia invest in its vision for the future: a newsroom more representative of the diversity of Nepali society, a stronger presence on social media to help reach younger audiences, and continued development of the investigative and long-form features for which they have come to be widely respected.

Liga.net (Ukraine), one of country’s most respected and enterprising independent news sites, has long been known for its business news. However, at the start of the Russian invasion, Liga shifted its focus to providing reliable and accessible coverage about the war to its audience. IFPIM funding will enable Liga to continue to offer this widely read content, while broadening its work and analysis to cover changes to society caused by the war and potential pathways to economic recovery.

Marco Zero Conteúdo (Brazil) is a leading producer of investigative journalism in one of Brazil’s most underdeveloped regions. Marco Zero is committed to elevating the voices of those most impacted by social and environmental issues as well as supporting other independent news outlets across the region. IFPIM funding will support Marco Zero in enhancing the impact of its content, expanding its audience, and further developing the network of independent journalism producers across Nordeste that it helps to lead.

Media Reform Coordinating Group (Sierra Leone) occupies a unique position in country’s media landscape as a coordinating body that has brought together the media sector to support research, reform, and capacity building. MRCG is now spearheading the creation of a National Fund for Public Interest Media, meant to support a diverse range of organizations across the country. IFPIM funding will help MRCG develop the framework and infrastructure for the Fund.

Mutante (Colombia) is a news producer pushing the boundaries of traditional journalism. It is continuously experimenting with new formats and approaches to audience engagement, with the aim of tackling polarization and building collective knowledge around complex social issues including mental health, gender equity, and climate change. IFPIM funding will support Mutante’s development of new, innovative editorial products, audience tracking technology, and a sector-leading staff wellbeing program.

Nawaat (Tunisia), a collective blogging platform born out of the Tunisian democratic movement in 2011, has grown into a leading, fiercely independent producer of public interest journalism. In the next phase of its evolution, Nawaat will use IFPIM funding to test out a range of new formats and audience experiences, with the ambition of increasing reach and engagement with diverse and underserved communities across Tunisia.

Nexo (Brazil) is a trailblazing independent news outlet, popular with younger audiences, that fuses high-quality, balanced reporting with creative and experimental formats. IFPIM funding will help Nexo grow the production and distribution of its journalistic content and expand its audience reach throughout the country.

Raseef22 (Lebanon) is one of the country’s leading producers of independent news, publishing content that explores social and cultural issues from a diversity of perspectives. A hub for journalists across 22 Arabic speaking countries, Raseef22 will use the International Fund’s support to strengthen its partnerships with civil society organizations across the region, exploring new avenues for audience development while also building capacity for video production.

Studio Kalangou (Niger) is the first producer of public interest media in sub-Saharan Africa to be certified through the Journalism Trust Initiative. The audio journalism service produces content in five different languages to communities across the country that often have little or no other access to independent, trustworthy information. The IFPIM grant will support Studio Kalangou to expand its original content and its efforts to fight disinformation, including through short audio and video explainers on social topics.

Vorágine (Colombia) is a dynamic investigative journalism start-up that is finding ways to reach young audiences with quality information. Its use of illustration and graphic novels to disseminate the findings of investigative reporting has proved promising. Vorágine now seeks to build on its initial success and use IFPIM funding to increase the capacity of its newsroom and strengthen its approach to audience engagement.