With this decree which became effective as of 25 February 2025, and the ordonnance, IFPIM is the first organization established in France to benefit from this innovative legal framework. The International Fund is the only multilateral initiative created to finance independent journalism in low- and middle-income countries, and to sustain the production of trustworthy, fact-based public interest information.The International Fund received important seed funding from France for its startup phase, and has since been supported by 19 government and philanthropic donors, equipping the Fund to support nearly 80 media organizations in 26 countries thus far.

‘France’s early and steadfast support for the International Fund shows true leadership in prioritizing free and independent journalism as an essential bulwark of democracy around the globe,’ said Nishant Lalwani, CEO of the International Fund. ‘We are immensely pleased and appreciative of the confidence in the Fund that this decree signals. We look forward to a continued strong partnership with France, and to expanding the coalition of support to the International Fund.’

The new decree and the status of International Organization mean that the International Fund can operate as a global, multilateral financing mechanism, similar to other international funds such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Partnership for Education, and others. International Organization Status allows the International Fund to receive and disburse funding according to rigorous rules and processes set out in its own statutes and policies. The International Fund Secretariate operates under the oversight of its independent Board. In addition, a Council made up of donors and other stakeholders exercises fiscal oversight. As a pooled fund for support to independent journalism, IFPIM is able to minimize overhead, simplify reporting, and ensure that donor contributions are channeled towards efficient and editorially nonpartisan grant-making to achieve maximum impact.

The International Fund has established its headquarters in Paris, and since the start of its activities in 2023 raised nearly €70 million. The new status marks the start of the International Fund’s expansion phase, where it will raise €150 million for 2026-28 and nearly quadruple its support for independent media organizations in low and middle-income countries around the world and invest in new and innovative, sustainable funding models for media.

To read the International Fund’s Investment Case see:
https://momentoftruth.ifpim.org/

About IFPIM: Launched in 2023, 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 their 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 79 grants valued at USD $23m to media organizations in 26 countries.

Media contact:
Rosie Vanek
[email protected]