ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (July 27, 2023) – The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the nonprofit Poynter Institute, a global leader in journalism, in partnership with Google and YouTube, announces the opening of applications for the second phase of funding to support fact-checking initiatives worldwide.
Organizations may apply beginning Aug. 1, 2023 to the Global Fact Check Fund for the second phase of the multi-year program, funded by a $13.2 million grant from Google and YouTube.
This phase, called GROW, is aimed at the development of organizations’ institutional capacity, competitiveness and sustainability in local and regional work.
The grants may be used to increase staffing, expand or create programs designed to boost content visibility, or for training, fundraising, data analytics tools, diversifying revenue streams and growing partnerships and collaborations.
“We’re excited to launch the second phase of the Global Fact Check Fund’s work and look forward to many strong proposals. This funding can strengthen fact-checking organizations, help them build partnerships and support their long-term sustainability,” said Angie Drobnic Holan, director of the IFCN. “A strong global network of fact-checkers is a win in the fight against dangerous misinformation.”
$1 million is allotted for the GROW phase, through awards of up to $50,000 each. While the Fund’s first phase, BUILD, was limited to verified signatories of the IFCN Code of Principles, eligibility for the GROW grant extends to fact-checking organizations partnered with or endorsed by a verified signatory. This can include nonprofit organizations, nongovernmental organizations, for-profit organizations, research organizations, and academic institutes that are working to advance fact-checking.
GROW applications close Sept. 7, 2023.
The creation of the $12 million Global Fact Check Fund aims to support about 135 organizations in 65 countries across 80 languages over three years. The mission of the fund is to strengthen and develop the operational, production and engagement capacities of local and regional media organizations to increase the quality, volume, frequency and expansion of fact-checking abilities and activities.
In June, the Global Fact Check Fund made its first awards through the BUILD phase, which aimed to help fact-checking organizations scale their operations. The Fund awarded $875,000 in grants to 35 recipients.
The final phase of the effort, ENGAGE, will open applications in November. Those grants will support scaling local and regional audience engagement, including expanded staffing, programming and training, cross-pollination across technology channels, exploration of new markets, audience research, metrics and analytics, digital media, community engagement, and innovation and experimentation to develop tools for fact-checking.
To apply for the GROW grant as well as review criteria, visit our landing page: https://www.poynter.org/ifcn/grants-ifcn/globalfactcheckfund/
A Q&A webinar will be held on August 8, 2023. More details and registration may be found at our landing page.
To learn more about the IFCN, visit poynter.org/ifcn.
Media Contact:
Angie Drobnic Holan
Director, International Fact-Checking Network
aholan@poynter.org
+1-727-410-1770
About The Poynter Institute
The Poynter Institute is a global nonprofit working to address society’s most pressing issues by teaching journalists and journalism, covering the media and the complexities facing the industry, convening and community building, improving the capacity and sustainability of news organizations and fostering trust and reliability of information. The Institute is a gold standard in journalistic excellence and dedicated to the preservation and advancement of press freedom in democracies worldwide. Through Poynter, journalists, newsrooms, businesses, big tech corporations and citizens convene to find solutions that promote trust and transparency in news and stoke meaningful public discourse. The world’s top journalists and emerging media leaders rely on the Institute to learn new skills, adopt best practices, better serve audiences, scale operations and improve the quality of the universally shared information ecosystem.
The Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership, the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), MediaWise and PolitiFact are all members of the Poynter organization.
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