Media Forward Fund

• Eligibility Criteria
  – For the Media Forward Fund, media organisations – or subsidiaries of foreign organisations – must be registered in either Germany, Austria or Switzerland;
  – Applicants’ work must serve the common good. This means that revenues are primarily generated with the intention of strengthening journalism in general.
• Type of Funding: Core and Programmatic
• Target Region: Germany, Austria and Switzerland
• Application Language: English

The Media Forward Fund wants to contribute to more independent journalism outlets with viable business models that publish strong, trustworthy content and are sustainably financed in the long term.

The aim of the Media Forward Fund is to strengthen journalism and thus democracy. A particular focus is on target audiences that have been underserved by the media to date.

What does the fund provide grants for?

• Gaps in national reporting and in thematic niches
• Gaps in regional/local reporting (news deserts) with special consideration of projects/organisations that report for communities that are underserved
• In the next stage of expansion: cross-sector solutions, technical offerings and journalistic platforms that do not publish themselves. Initially, the fund will act as a guide to existing funding opportunities.

Funding categories and information

They generally provide up to €400,000 per organisation for two years. Higher amounts are possible. Organisations and projects must serve the common good. There are two categories of funding:

• Organizational funding, for small media organizations
• Project funding, for small and large media organizations

See here to learn more and apply.

Access the Fundraising Guide for expert advice on how to improve your fundraising applications and to identify prospective donors.