Accelerating Digital Businesses

• Eligibility Criteria:
  – Media organizations (of any type or size, both digitally-native and traditional) and independent journalists/freelancers can apply to participate in the program.
• Type of funding: Programmatic
• Target country: Brazil
• Application language: Portuguese

The International Center for Journalists (IFCJ), in partnership with Meta and different Brazilian media associations, launches the Accelerating Digital Businesses program, which will contribute to the improvement of business models and financial sustainability for media organizations of all types, sizes, and locations that serve the Brazilian public.

The program also seeks to help them to use digital tools in an innovative and strategic way for the development and growth of their businesses.

Program Phases:
Training

• The first phase of the program consists of a webinar series with specialists, both Brazilian and international, in the areas of media and business, which will support Brazilian media organizations to improve their business management skills, reinforce the organizational relationship with their digital audiences, develop new projects and products, generate revenue, and construct innovative and sustainable business models. The webinars will be in Portuguese. In the event that the invited specialist is foreign, there will be simultaneous interpretation into Portuguese through Zoom.
  1. This phase will be divided into two groups: the first, open to specialists and professionals that work in media organizations or independently, and the second, reserved for executives. The specialist training begins in March and will last 10 weeks.
  2. Executives will have the opportunity to apply for a training with an international business school to keep themselves updated on the latest trends in the strategic management of digital businesses.
  3. Executives can also apply for the specialist trainings, if they are interested.
  4. All of the participants will receive certificates at the end of the trainings, sent by ICFJ as well as the university, for the executive training.

Mentorship and Grant Funding

• In the second phase of the program, participants can apply to receive mentorship for five months, in addition to financial support for the development of projects that will innovate or accelerate their digital businesses. The selected participants will be mentored by specialists in the market with substantial experience in the development of digital products and strategies.
• Media organizations can apply to receive up to $15,000 USD and independent journalists can receive up to $2,500 USD.

Projects in cities characterized as news deserts and near news deserts will be given preference when selecting beneficiaries.

See here to learn more and apply.

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