Applications open for the AU$15 million Facebook Australian News Fund

• Eligibility Criteria:
  – Australian-based newsrooms and journalists can apply to either or both funds under the Facebook Australian News Fund.
  – Publishers and journalists who have applied for the above funding programs in the past three years are still eligible to apply for the Newsroom Sustainability Fund and the Public Interest Journalism Fund.
  – The Walkley Foundation will nominate an independent external judging committee to review applications against the funds’ eligibility criteria, which includes whether or not the project contributes to the news organisation’s long-term viability or provides a public benefit.
• Type of Funding: Programmatic
• Target Country: Australia
• Application language: English

The Facebook Journalism Project is seeking applications for The Facebook Australian News Fund to invest in public-interest journalism, and support small, regional and digital newsroom innovation and economic sustainability.

The AU$15 million investment will be divided between two funds: the Newsroom Sustainability Fund and The Public Interest Journalism Fund over three years.

– The Newsroom Sustainability Fund will allocate AU$2.5 million per year, in grants of up to AU$250,000 to fund newsroom products and revenue-related projects. Priority will be given to entrants that are based in a regional area, or serving local communities, or digital-only publications.

– The Public Interest Journalism Fund, will allocate AU$2.5 million per year, providing grants of up to AU$120,000, to invest in public interest journalism and encourage media diversity. It will support small, regional newsrooms and independent journalists, as well as newsrooms covering under-served communities.

For more information visit Facebook Journalism Project.