“It is very important to share this initiative on World Press Freedom Day since we consider this support substantial for the diversity, plurality, and sustainability of media organizations and to support the development of the activities they carry out independently,” said Vanina Berghella, Regional Director for Latin America & the Caribbean of the International Fund, announcing the launch of the open call for proposals.

Entitled “Audience First: Investing in Strategies to Better Serve the Public,” the open call will provide media organizations across low- and middle-income countries with the funding needed to execute plans for reaching and engaging new and existing audiences.

Grants will be awarded to organizations that play a vital role in producing and disseminating public interest journalism in the countries where they work and that are facing difficult financial circumstances as result of local market conditions.

Nishant Lalwani, CEO of the International Fund, noted: “Ensuring people worldwide have access to accurate, independent journalism is fundamental to our mission. We are proud to be making this announcement on World Press Freedom Day, which is also the one year anniversary of the International Fund’s launch.  This open call will support news organizations working to serve the public in the face of profound economic challenges. We will support media outlets actively seeking to respond to the needs and concerns of their communities.”

A total of at least $5 million USD in grant funding will be available globally through the open call. Individual grants will provide media organizations with approximately $250,000 USD in funding to support  new and existing initiatives that relate to their audience strategy.

The International Fund is a first-of-its-kind multilateral initiative designed to support journalism in low- and middle-income countries. To date, it has committed approximately $9 million in grant funding and direct support to media organizations and systems change initiatives in its focus regions.

More information about the open call, including specific eligibility criteria, is available online at opencall.ifpim.org. The deadline for funding proposals is July 1.