Media Forward Fund for independent media in DACH region

• Eligibility Criteria: To be eligible, the registered headquarters of your overall organisation must be in Germany, Austria or Switzerland.
• Type of Funding: Grant
• Target Region: DACH
• Application Language: English

The Media Forward Fund (MFF) supports media organisations that are focused on the common good and are seeking to expand their financial sustainability with a specific project. In doing so, they are closing a gap in reporting and are ideally relying on approaches that differ from existing practices in the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and/or in their own market.

The MFF has a particular focus on media organisations reporting for target audiences that have thus far been underserved by the news media. Its general funding line focuses on regional/local and national/supra-regional media outlets. Examples of previously funded projects can be found here.

Requirements

A media organisation or its project is eligible to receive funding if all of the following requirements are met:

• The organisation must serve the common good.
• It publishes its own journalistic content, and your work is based on recognised journalistic/editorial standards, which it documents publicly (or plans to do so).
• It has a distinct structural and personnel separation between editorial and business management.
• If the company is younger than five years old and has fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs), there must be a demonstrable intention to implement this separation in the future.
• The organisation already has a working business model aimed at serving the common good. Consequently, it can demonstrate proof-of-concept for its journalistic offering in addition to a product/market fit.
• With its project, it is aiming to grow your revenue streams, focused on the common good rather than merely seeking funding to secure the organisation’s continued existence.

Type of funding 

• Organisational funding: The Fund generally provides organisational funding of up to €400,000 over a two-year period for small, non-profit media organisations. Small media outlets have up to 30 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) in the entire organisation.
• Project funding/ financing: The Fund generally provides up to €400,000 over two years for small for-profit media organisations focused on the common good.  Large media organisations – whether non-profit or for-profit – are eligible if they co-finance projects on a 50:50 basis. As a rule, €200,000 are made available over two years.

How to apply

The next MFF call for applications starts on 9 February and ends on 20 February 2026.

Infor events: With each call for applications, MFF organises at least two digital information sessions (one in German and one in French) with a duration of approx. 60 to 90 minutes each, as well as one on-site event. The purpose of the information sessions is to present the Media Forward Fund and its selection process in more detail.

The next info events are expected to take place on the following dates:

• 27 January 2026: online, 12:30–14:00 (German)
• 3 February 2026: in presence in Erfurt, 12:30–14:00 (German)
• 10 February 2026: online, 12:30–14:00 (French)

For more information, please visit this page.