Amplify South Africa

• Eligibility Criteria
  – Applicants must be media outlets based in South Africa, independent from the government or any other political or economic interest group;
  – Applicants must be supportive of democratic practices and institutions, political pluralism, transparency, human rights, dignity and equal rights for all, regardless of race, ethnic or social origin, gender, sex, sexual orientation, disability, religion, culture or language;
  – Applicants should have a particular business and/or revenue and/or transformation project they are planning to work on over the next 12-24 months (or early in the stages of an existing project) targeting one or more of the focal areas;
  – Applicants must be willing to commit sufficient time to work with coaches/mentors and carry out assigned tasks.
• Type of Funding: Programmatic
• Target Region: South Africa
• Application Language: English

MDIF has launched Amplify South Africa, a mentoring, capacity strengthening and grant funding program to help independent media businesses build their revenues, audiences and innovation.

They are looking for independent media ranging from early stage, small scale to more established organisations serving both urban and rural audiences. Applicants should have innovative initiatives/projects that address issues impacting the organisation’s sustainability and independence.

In addition to bespoke coaching, the media cohort will have access to targeted grant funding, typically ranging from $5k-$25k per year, depending on the project.

Key features

With a dynamic blend of personalized, hands-on learning and collaborative networking, here’s what participants can expect from the Amplify South Africa program:

• Bespoke one-on-one coaching and training to drive business growth
• Diverse media management advice by local and international experts
• Support from media start-up specialists to identify and develop optimal business strategies and models
• Focus on developing new revenue streams and building audience, while maximising engagement and customer experience
• Advice on organization, leadership, project structure and execution workflow
• Targeted grant funding tied to capacity support to maximize effectiveness
• Workshops, hands-on-training and opportunities to connect with industry experts and fellow participants to gain insights from successful real-world examples

The deadline for applications is March 16, 2024.

See here to learn more and apply.

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