Inclusive Media, Cohesive Society – Call for Proposal

Key Information

• Eligibility: 
  • Media organisations which produce original content (not news aggregators).
  • Organisations that produce content around human rights and marginalised groups.
  • Organisations must have an online platform, with some social media presence preferable.
  • Organisations which are politically independent and transparent about funding sources (please see
    here for TRF criteria on independent media organisations)
  • Organisations must be based in Lebanon. Organisations which are not currently registered must
    commit to doing so within the first six months of the project.
  • Preference will be given to organisations that demonstrate diversity within staff and board members
• Funding amount: Grants up to $55,000
• Type of funding: Programmatic
• Target countries: Lebanon
• Application languages: English

As Lebanon faces unprecedented economic, social, and political challenges, the media has an essential role to
play to preserve societal cohesion and highlight the plight of marginalised groups. The Samir Kassir Foundation
(SKF) and the Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF) have teamed up as part of a consortium program funded by
the US State Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor (DRL). This program aims to facilitate
the emergence of a media environment (including social media) that provides a fair representation of all
components of the society and empower marginalised groups and hate speech victims to express themselves
freely and safely.

Traditionally, the Lebanese media landscape has been entrenched in political and sectarian interests.
However, independent journalists have sought in recent years to launch alternative outlets online, committed
to the highest ethical and professional standards. The audiences of independent media outlets have grown
significantly after the October 2019 protest movement as a wider consciousness emerged within the Lebanese
population to seek news from less politicised sources. This program aims to strengthen independent
organisations’ coverage and institutional sustainability.

SKF and TRF invite proposals from Lebanese independent media platforms for the provision of financial and
professional support. Grants of up to $55,000 (USD) are available for capacity-building projects that would
support content production, staff resourcing, and organisational sustainability initiatives.

Supported outlets would also be eligible for one-on-one journalist mentoring by TRF experts. The mentoring
will accompany journalists at every level of the production cycle, from understanding concepts and notions,
to pitching, data gathering, field work, drafting, multi-media integration, publication, and promotion.

Supported outlets will also receive ongoing coaching on the latest best practices in online media start-up
management. The management support initiative will contribute to the institutional and financial
sustainability of supported organisations beyond the scope of this program.