Funding Environmental Journalism: Where’s the Money?

The State of Play

Environmental journalism sits at the intersection of two funding streams: media support and climate/environmental funding. The result is a fragmented and often project-based landscape.

• Philanthropic foundations:  such as the ClimateWorks Foundation and the European Climate Foundation have invested in climate communications and, to a lesser extent, in independent reporting.
• Specialised journalism programmes: for example, the Pulitzer Center Rainforest Reporting Grants and Internews’ Earth Journalism Network — have become critical lifelines for investigative reporting on deforestation, biodiversity, and climate finance.
• Bilateral donors: (e.g.,The European Commission, GIZ) occasionally support media projects within larger environment and governance programmes.
• Private funders: such as Bloomberg Philanthropies have supported specific media initiatives, though usually as part of broader advocacy campaigns.

Despite this variety, funding levels remain modest compared to the urgency and complexity of climate reporting.

Funding Gaps

Three recurring challenges stand out:

1. Short-termism: Many grants are for one-off investigations or short projects, leaving journalists without continuity or job security.
2. Geographical inequality: Journalists in the Global South, often closest to the most severe climate impacts, struggle to access international funding streams dominated by organisations in Europe and North America.
3. The advocacy–journalism divide: Large portions of climate funding flow to campaigns and advocacy groups. While important, this leaves independent watchdog journalism under-supported.

Opportunities for Media Organisations

While the funding ecosystem is uneven, several promising entry points are emerging:

• Cross-sector funding: Donors focused on transparency, governance, or human rights are increasingly receptive to journalism as part of their strategies.
• Collaborative reporting networks: Projects like Covering Climate Now show that donors are more willing to fund pooled, cross-border initiatives that maximise reach and reduce duplication.
• Thematic niches: Indigenous knowledge, biodiversity, and just transition policies are areas where donors recognise the need for trustworthy media coverage.

Donors to Watch

A few funders making a difference:

• ClimateWorks Foundation – supporting media initiatives as part of its mission to accelerate climate solutions.
• European Climate Foundation (ECF) – investing in strategic communications and independent journalism on energy and climate transition.
• Pulitzer Center Rainforest Reporting Grants – funding in-depth reporting on tropical forests and communities.
• Heinrich Böll Foundation – supporting climate justice and feminist perspectives in environmental journalism.
• Bloomberg Philanthropies – occasional support for media within its broader environment portfolio.
• Journalismfund Europe – providing grants to cross-border investigative journalism projects.

What Next?

For fundraisers in the media sector, the challenge is to bridge the gap between environmental donors’ goals and journalism’s role. Funders often see their support in terms of policy change, community resilience, or climate literacy, all of which depend on independent reporting.

This means reframing fundraising pitches:

• Position journalism as infrastructure for climate accountability.
• Highlight how reporting helps audiences make informed decisions, holds institutions to account, and connects local impacts with global debates.
• Emphasise collaboration, impact measurement, and sustainability.

Conclusion

Environmental journalism is vital, but the money to support it is still too scarce and scattered. By forging cross-sector partnerships, identifying thematic entry points, and demonstrating journalism’s unique value, media organisations can tap into climate-related funding streams that may not yet think of themselves as “media support.”

GFMD will continue to track trends in this area and advocate for stronger, more sustained support for journalists covering the climate crisis.

5 Tips for Pitching to Environmental Donors

1. Speak their language: Frame your proposal in terms of climate outcomes, transparency, community resilience, just transition,not just “media support.”
2. Highlight accountability: Stress journalism’s watchdog role in ensuring climate finance and pledges are followed through.
3. Show collaboration: Funders like pooled projects and cross-border partnerships that reduce duplication and amplify reach.
4. Offer evidence of impact: Use case studies: how your reporting changed a debate, was cited in policy, or reached vulnerable communities.
5. Balance editorial independence: Reassure donors that while their themes are covered, journalistic integrity remains central.

A note on large climate philanthropies and intermediaries

Much of the funding that ultimately supports environmental journalism does not flow directly to news organisations, but through intermediaries and journalism support programmes backed by large climate philanthropies. Foundations such as Laudes Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and the Gates Foundation play an important role in shaping the broader funding environment for climate and environmental reporting, often by supporting strategic communications, research, or journalism networks rather than issuing open calls for media outlets.

Journalism support organisations and networks – including the Oxford Climate Journalism Network (OCJN), Thomson Reuters Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, and Arena for Journalism in Europe – frequently act as delivery partners, translating this funding into fellowships, training, collaborative reporting projects, and re-granting mechanisms. While these pathways are not always directly accessible to individual newsrooms, they remain a key part of the ecosystem through which environmental journalism is funded and sustained.

For those ready to dive deeper, explore more resources in the MediaDev Fundraising Guide. Did you find an error or something in need of an update in this article? Please do let us know by contacting us at communications@gfmd.info. Are you a donor? Would you like to update us on your grants and programmes or add you to this article? Please get in touch!