New Philippines grantee cohort program kickstarts activities with a strategic planning bootcamp

Eight Filipino media outlets from across the archipelago came together for a kick-off ‘bootcamp’ in April to begin activities as a new cohort of IFPIM grantees in the Philippines. The new grantees, nearly all of which are community media, serve audiences in regions that trace the breadth of the country. The cohort also includes a range of  media formats, including television, print media, digital native outlets, and a news archive, unified by a shared commitment to serving local communities in their provinces.

Grants recently awarded by the International Fund provide each media outlet in the cohort with resources to support development of an organisational strategy for the next three years, with the aim of strengthening their editorial content, generating meaningful engagement with audiences, and building financial resilience. 

Drawing on their own editorial expertise, deep knowledge of local audiences, and understanding of provincial markets, participants began identifying pockets of opportunity as part of their strategic planning. Ideas hatched during the bootcamp included new opportunities for income generation that would diversify revenue streams, while minimising external influence and maintaining newsrooms’ editorial independence. Areas for innovation included newsletters, knowledge and data maps, a research hub, climate tracking and ecotourism content, digital archiving, and more.

While participants brought local knowledge and ideas to the bootcamp, the sessions provided space for them to identify additional opportunities, to begin strategising, and to map out priorities.

The three-day bootcamp was facilitated by NEST Mongolia, which has been supporting IFPIM's Mongolia Cohort in building and implementing their strategic plans. Bringing that experience to the Philippines, NEST guided participants through a process designed to onboard grantees and to begin building organisational foundations for long-term sustainability.

Over the coming three months, each organisation in the Philippines cohort will develop a three-year roadmap with support from NEST — translating the energy and ideas of the bootcamp into concrete plans tailored to their own contexts, audiences, and markets.

‍“IFPIM not only gave us a grant, but guided us on making a vision for our company.”
— Digicast Negros, grantee bootcamp participant