ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Jan. 28, 2025) – The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the nonprofit Poynter Institute has announced the recipients of its ENGAGE grants under the Global Fact Check Fund, awarding 20 projects from 15 countries for their innovative strategies to combat misinformation. Each initiative has been granted up to $100,000 to implement its proposal over the next 12 months in Africa, Asia, Europe, India, Australia and North America.
The ENGAGE round, which originated in 2024, is designed for IFCN signatory organizations ready to scale operations, deepen audience engagement, and develop sustainable revenue streams beyond third-party fact-checking programs. The projects are intended to generate new ideas and processes that can benefit the entire fact-checking community.
The selected projects showcase creative ways fact-checkers are tackling misinformation, such as leveraging AI to improve access to public datasets in India and introducing a labeling service on Bluesky. These initiatives also explore multimedia formats, strengthen media literacy, and build regional networks.
Since its 2023 launch, the Global Fact Check Fund has awarded nearly $8 million to 154 organizations in 71 countries. Managed by the IFCN, the fund operates in three phases – BUILD, GROW, and ENGAGE – to support the fact-checking community’s needs, from capacity building to driving innovation and public engagement.
The ENGAGE phase was open only to active or under-renewal IFCN signatories. Recipients must share their outcomes and lessons learned with the global fact-checking community to inspire and inform similar initiatives worldwide. The ENGAGE 2024 recipients include organizations from countries such as Indonesia, the United States, Australia, Sudan, Slovakia and Spain.
Applications for the BUILD 2025 grants will open in the spring. These grants, open to both IFCN signatories and non-signatories, will provide up to $25,000 to enhance operational capacity and support foundational growth for fact-checking organizations. Future rounds for 2025 will provide awards for $50,000 and $100,000.
Here’s the full list ENGAGE grant winners:
EFE Verifica – Spain
Project: Fake News, Real Victims
EFE Verifica aims to expose the human toll of misinformation through investigative storytelling and public education campaigns. The project will document real-life impacts on individuals and communities harmed by false claims, using their stories to underscore the importance of accurate journalism.
This initiative encourages audiences to critically assess information sources while reinforcing trust in verified reporting.
Factnameh – Iran (Canada)
Project: Focus and Engage: Zooming in on What Matters to Gen Z in Iran
Factnameh is collaborating with Gazzetta, an audience research consultancy, to better connect with Gen Z in Iran and address their exposure to mis- and disinformation. The two-stage project begins with in-depth research to understand the information needs and content preferences of Iranian youth. Insights from this research will inform Factnameh’s YouTube strategy, focusing on tailored content angles, topics and formats.
By the project’s conclusion in 2025, Factnameh aims to increase engagement, with 25% of video views coming from audiences under 25.
Tempo – Indonesia
Project: Strengthening urban community to mitigate AI-manipulation risks
Tempo aims to empower urban community members in five Indonesian provinces with high internet penetration to combat the rising threat of AI-generated misinformation. The project will build capacity through workshops and interactive news games, while collaborating with “homeless community media” – urban citizens managing large social media networks primarily on Instagram and TikTok.
Tempo plans to produce short videos, live discussions, and other digital content to expand fact-checking audiences across its website and popular social platforms. Leveraging its experience in human rights journalism and partnerships with local media and communities, Tempo seeks to equip citizens with tools to identify and address information manipulation.
The Quint – India
Project: Tackling financial scams through citizen reporting
The Quint aims to combat financial fraud in India by developing a citizen-driven platform to report scams. While major fraud cases dominate headlines, smaller, everyday scams often go unnoticed. Through its “My Report” initiative, The Quint will crowdsource reports to create a detailed database of cybercriminal techniques, helping raise awareness and strengthen preventive measures.
The project will provide law enforcement, policymakers, and financial institutions with actionable insights, addressing gaps in current fraud detection and response systems.
Lead Stories – United States
Project: Bluesky tagging service based on fact-checking data
Lead Stories aims to create a tagging service for Bluesky, utilizing the platform’s open architecture to apply fact-check labels to posts. This service will draw on a comprehensive database of fact-checked content, including over 100,000 URLs and 6,000 fact checks in eight languages, and integrate contributions from the global fact-checking community.
Posts containing fact-checked links or relevant keywords will be tagged with labels directing users to the associated fact checks, leveraging the platform’s structure for greater accuracy and transparency.
AAP FactCheck – Australia
Project: SocialPlus: Enhancing video capabilities to scale audience engagement
AAP FactCheck aims to expand its reach and engagement by building a dedicated video production team to meet the rising demand for video-based content. With ENGAGE funding, the organization will hire a skilled video content creator and extend the term of its audience growth editor, who will oversee the social media strategy, onboard the creator, and support video production. This team will produce six videos per week for platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
The initiative seeks to connect more effectively with younger audiences and the three-quarters of Australians who consume news via video-based social media. AAP FactCheck expects to significantly expand its reach and impact through this project.
Demagog.sk – Slovakia
Project: Bridging understanding
Demagog.sk, Slovakia’s first fact-checking platform, is tackling the country’s growing disinformation crisis by integrating prebunking strategies with innovative storytelling. With 14 years of experience, a record of over 21,000 fact-checked political claims, and 120+ debunked social media hoaxes, the platform aims to reach wider audiences using podcasts, reels and workshops.
The project will deliver video podcasts, educational reels and videos, and prebunking workshops, alongside regional meetings with fact-checking organizations. Two monthly social media series, “Mythbuster Friday” and “Is it the truth?”, will target misinformation narratives before they spread.
Full Fact – United Kingdom
Project: Engaging a younger audience with fact checking
Full Fact is addressing the spread of misinformation among 18-34-year-olds by producing short videos tailored for TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts. The project will hire the organization’s first dedicated video producer to make fact-checking on topics like climate change, health, and politics more accessible to young audiences.
With over a decade of expertise countering misinformation, Full Fact will develop content informed by research and insights, focusing on formats that resonate with younger audiences.
Factly – India
Project: Dataful AI: simplified access to authentic data and analysis for fact-checking and journalism in a chat interface
Factly’s Dataful AI simplifies data access and analysis for fact-checking and journalism, building on a repository of more than 16,000 standardized public datasets across 50 sectors. Tools such as “AI Search” and “Chat with Data” allow users to query datasets and analyze trends in natural language, eliminating the need for advanced technical skills.
Factly plans to enable “Chat with Data” for all datasets, introduce automated data summaries and sector-specific chatbots like the “Election Results Chatbot,” and allow users to upload their datasets. The initiative will provide free access to 20 fact-checking and media organizations, helping them produce data-driven stories and support Dataful’s sustainability.
Annie Lab – Hong Kong
Project: Building Asia-Oceania alliance of fact-checkers for information integrity
Annie Lab is spearheading the creation of an Asia-Oceania alliance to address misinformation and disinformation across one of the world’s most linguistically and culturally diverse regions. Acting as the project lead, Annie Lab aims to unify regional fact-checking organizations to advocate for better representation of all languages and regions, and to ensure human rights, especially free expression, are central to discussions with tech platforms and policymakers.
The alliance will align regional innovations with global fact-checking standards, foster resource-sharing among members, and provide training programs to strengthen journalism and fact-checking skills. The project will also amplify member contributions and support joint advocacy efforts to uphold information integrity across the region.
PolitiFact – United States
Project: PolitiFact B2B research
PolitiFact is piloting a business-to-business (B2B) research division to provide fact-checking services to companies, diversifying its revenue streams and reducing reliance on programs like Meta’s Third-Party Fact-Checking initiative. The project builds on PolitiFact’s initial successes with B2B partnerships, aiming to establish a replicable model for other fact-checking organizations to strengthen their sustainability.
The initiative will focus on developing ethical guidelines, business plans and marketing strategies to expand these services, while ensuring that the work contributes to healthier information ecosystems for the public. This approach aligns PolitiFact’s core fact-checking mission with long-term financial viability.
Raskrinkavanje.me – Montenegro
Project: Expanding Raskrinkavanje.me’s impact: building bridges with audiences
Raskrinkavanje.me is tackling Montenegro’s disinformation crisis by modernizing its platform and boosting audience engagement. The project will upgrade its website, improve SEO, and implement social listening tools to track misinformation trends and audience behavior. These enhancements will support the production of tailored multimedia content, including podcasts, short videos, and visuals, designed to connect with diverse audiences.
Building on audience research and past digital outreach successes, Raskrinkavanje.me aims to increase its reach by at least 25%, particularly among underserved groups. The initiative seeks to solidify its role as a trusted source for evidence-based narratives, countering disinformation and promoting a more informed society in Montenegro.
India Today – India
Project: Project Shield: Get ready to outsmart the scammers
India Today’s goal is to combat the growing epidemic of digital scams in India through an extensive, year-long awareness campaign. Leveraging the country’s cultural and linguistic diversity, the initiative will collaborate with influencers and trusted community figures nationwide to educate citizens about scams like “digital arrests,” which cost Indians over Rs 1.2 billion in early 2024 alone.
The campaign will utilize India Today’s news anchors, celebrity partnerships, and its extensive reach across print, television and digital platforms to reach communities.
Fact Space West Africa – Ghana
Project: FactWide Project
Fact Space West Africa (FSWA), in partnership with Maldita, is expanding the reach of its WhatsApp chatbot to help Ghanaians verify information quickly and effectively. With WhatsApp as Ghana’s most widely used messaging platform, the project will include radio advertising and local outreach initiatives to encourage public adoption of the chatbot, targeting users across all 16 regions.
The project also focuses on reaching Ghana’s rural population, which comprises 40% of the country, by utilizing bulk SMS and interactive voice response (IVR) systems to overcome poor internet connectivity. Co-creation programs will produce accessible audio content for IVR users at no cost.
APA – Austria
Project: Educate facts
APA aims to address the growing impact of disinformation on young adults in Austria by equipping them with critical media skills. With ENGAGE funding, the project will collaborate with the media competence institution “Digitaler Kompass” to develop learning materials tailored to young audiences. Workshops involving teachers and students will ensure the materials resonate with the target group, promoting effective media literacy.
The multimedia materials will be hosted on an online platform by APA and distributed via “Digitaler Kompass” channels, reaching 50,000 teachers across Austria through newsletters and educational networks. The initiative also includes promoting and implementing these resources in 100 classrooms, fostering a more informed and media-savvy youth population.
Istinomer – Serbia
Project: Engage with facts: platform-specific content for digital resilience
Istinomer is tackling the surge of disinformation on TikTok and YouTube, where manipulative narratives undermine public trust and informed decision-making. The organization will produce platform-specific prebunking and debunking content in engaging formats, including live streams, duets, stitching, and real-time fact-checks. A dedicated social media manager will ensure the content is tailored to platform algorithms.
Building on its Instagram strategy and its TikTok explainers, Istinomer aims to increase video production by 50% and audience interactions by 30%. This project will offer a replicable model for global fact-checkers while enhancing Istinomer’s capacity to counter disinformation and strengthen digital resilience in Serbia.
Factchequeado – United States
Project: Empowering Latino audiences through culturally relevant content and innovative AI tools
Factchequeado seeks to fill the information gap faced by Latino communities in the U.S., addressing their vulnerability to disinformation due to limited access to culturally relevant and accurate Spanish-language content. The project will begin with comprehensive research to understand Latino news consumption patterns and preferences across key demographics. Based on these findings, Factchequeado will experiment with diverse content formats and integrate AI tools to enhance production efficiency and engagement.
Factchequeado’s extensive network and expertise will enable it to implement this initiative effectively, ensuring sustainable improvements in trust, reach, and engagement with a historically underserved community.
The Healthy Indian Project (THIP) – India
Project: Empowering people with comorbidities against health misinformation using videos and online education
THIP aims to combat health misinformation among India’s 50 million individuals with comorbidities through multilingual video education and targeted community engagement. The project will develop video master classes and a repository of expert-led short videos addressing myths and misinformation, accessible on YouTube.
Disease-specific communities on Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram will distribute fact-checked health content, while directly educating individuals to promote accurate health information within their networks.
Beam Reports – Sudan/Chad
Project: Marsad Chad
Beam Reports is expanding its expertise in countering disinformation and foreign information manipulation and interference campaigns to Chad, leveraging the nation’s cultural, linguistic, and socio-political ties with Sudan. This initiative aims to tackle cross-border disinformation, which frequently targets both countries, and build local capacity to monitor and counter these threats.
Beam Reports will establish a fact-checking program in Chad by hiring and training local staff proficient in Arabic and French. The project includes producing tailored content for Chad’s unique context and addressing cross-border manipulation campaigns. It marks the first step in Beam Reports’ vision of regional expansion.
Teyit – Turkey
Project: Connected seniors
Teyit aims to combat media illiteracy among Turkey’s senior population, a group increasingly active online yet vulnerable to misinformation, scams, and digital exclusion. Through a scalable “Training of Trainers” model, the project will equip facilitators to lead workshops for seniors across Istanbul, Ankara, Eskişehir, and Mersin. These sessions will focus on critical skills like securing personal devices, identifying misinformation, safely navigating social media, and accessing e-services.
Building on over eight years of expertise in media literacy and fact-checking, Teyit will leverage its strong partnerships to ensure broad impact.
Media contact:
Angie Drobnic Holan
Director, International Fact-Checking Network
aholan@poynter.org
+1-727-410-1770
About The Poynter Institute
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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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About the International Fact-Checking Network
The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at Poynter was launched in 2015 to bring together the growing community of fact-checkers around the world and advocates of factual information in the global fight against misinformation. We enable fact-checkers through networking, capacity building and collaboration. IFCN promotes the excellence of fact-checking to more than 100 organizations worldwide through advocacy, training and global events. Our team monitors trends in the fact-checking field to offer resources to fact-checkers, contribute to public discourse and provide support for new projects and initiatives that advance accountability in journalism. We believe truth and transparency can help people be better informed and equipped to navigate harmful misinformation.
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