The Facebook Australian News Fund, a $15 million funding programme distributed over three years to encourage public-interest journalism, small, regional, and digital newsroom innovation, and economic sustainability, is managed by the Walkley Foundation. Read this blog article to find out more about how the fund fits into the global Meta Journalism Project.
For the 2021 cycle, The Foundation hired an outside judging panel made up of business professionals to examine applications in light of the program’s eligibility requirements and choose the winners.
The Foundation has previously managed the News Accelerator and Covid Relief projects for Facebook. In order to ensure that the evaluation of applications is impartial and free from stakeholder interests, we bring to this initiative our demonstrated administrative expertise in allocating funding and assembling journalistic panels.
Regarding the Programme
The Newsroom Sustainability Fund and the Public Interest Journalism Fund will split the $15 million over a three-year period. The Public Interest Journalism Fund will distribute up to $2.5 million by making grants of up to AU$120,000 in order to support public interest journalism, small, regional, and rural newsrooms, as well as newsrooms and journalists who cover underserved populations, and to promote media diversity.
This Initiative May Provide Financing to As Few as 18 Projects
The Newsroom Sustainability Fund will set aside up to $2.5 million and distribute grants of up to $250,000 to support projects that will increase revenue for the newsroom. Under this programme, funding may be provided to a minimum of nine projects.
How to Use
The 2021 round application period is now closed. Later in the year, applications for the 2022 round will be accepted. The Newsroom Sustainability Fund accepts applications from eligible news organisations with an Australian base.
If news organisations and independent journalists meet the eligibility requirements indicated in the Terms & Conditions, they may submit an application to the Public Interest Journalism Fund.
Applications will be evaluated in a competitive manner using criteria that prioritise either public benefit or organisational sustainability.
For one or both grants, news organisations that have previously applied for assistance through Facebook initiatives (such as the Covid-19 relief fund and Accelerator programmes over the past three years) are eligible
On November 26, the application period for the 2021 round ended. In March 2022, funding was given to 54 qualified candidates.
