Global Fact Check Fund

 

The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the nonprofit Poynter Institute, a global leader in journalistic excellence, announced a partnership with Google and YouTube on November 29, 2022 to support fact-checking initiatives worldwide and reduce the harm of misinformation.

The Global Fact Check Fund will award grants in an open competition for one or a series of programs to support third-party organizations in strengthening the capabilities of fact-checking organizations across the world. The Fund will be administered by the IFCN with the guidance of a Global Fact Check Fund Steering Committee. 

Applications are open from April 14 to May 15, 2023 for grants from the Fund’s first phase, called BUILD. On this page, you can find an overview of the Fund’s grant phases, criteria for the BUILD grant, and a link to apply.

The Fund will support Verified Signatories of the IFCN Code of Principles fact-checking organizations, as well as proposed partner organizations, over a three-year period. As of April 2023, there were 154 IFCN Verified Signatories from more than 60 countries. Through multiple grant opportunities, this new initiative will offer up to $12 million USD in funding to recipients, in three tiers: up to $25,000 USD, up to $50,000 USD, and up to $100,000 USD. 

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, scale and impact of fact checking abilities and activities. This Fund will support eligible organizations to increase the level of professionalism in fact-checking associated with media outlets, as well as improve target audiences’ ability to critically assess mass media and social media. 

 

Global Fact Check Fund Grant Categories 

BUILD

Applicants for the BUILD grant opportunity: Applicants will seek to materially scale and upgrade their media outlets’ online presence, including improving website development, domain hosting, content management systems, publishing tools, or improving security and resilience against hacking and other threats.  Other considerations include staffing and professional development that invests in human capital, expanding recruitment processes, and formal mentoring and coaching programs that help their staff members develop their skills, receive feedback, and grow professionally.

 

GROW

Applicants for the GROW grant opportunity: Applicants will be seeking to obtain an infusion of funding support for the development of their institutional capacity, competitiveness, and sustainability in local and regional spaces. This may include increasing staffing, expanding or creating programs designed to boost content visibility, training, launching fundraising initiatives, diversifying revenue streams, expanding data analytic tools, and growing partnerships and collaborations to leverage and expand resources.

 

ENGAGE

Applicants for the ENGAGE grant opportunity: Applicants will be seeking to obtain funding support in order to invest in scaling audience engagement in local and regional spaces. This may include increasing staffing, expanding or creating programs designed to boost content visibility, training, cross-pollination across technology channels, exploration of new target markets, audience research, metrics, and analytics, digital media, community engagement, innovation and experimentation to develop tools for fact-checking.

Who Can Apply 

All grant opportunities of the Fund (BUILD, GROW, ENGAGE) will be made available by 2024. 

BUILD, GROW and ENGAGE: Verified signatories of the IFCN Code of Principles 

GROW and ENGAGE grant opportunities only: Eligibility extends to organizations partnered with a verified signatory to include not-for-profit organizations, NGOs, for-profit organizations, research organizations, and academic institutes  

 

BUILD Opportunity Now Open!

 

IMPORTANT AWARD INFORMATION  

  • Award amounts: Up to $1,000,000 total for BUILD phase one, up to $25,000 per recipient, disbursed in two equal payments.
  • There is no limit to the number of applications an organization may submit across all categories (BUILD, GROW and ENGAGE). However, each successful applicant may not be granted more than one award per year.
  • Should the BUILD category fund not be exhausted through the standard award process, the Selection Committee will present recommendations for redistribution of the fund to the Steering Committee for consideration.
  • Program performance period: Proposed programs should be completed in 9-12 months.
  • The decision of awards will be made by an eight-member selection committee comprised of professionals in the media space who bring diverse skills, experiences, perspectives, and expertise.
  • For the complete application guidelines, click here.

 

Q&A WEBINARS and FAQ

Here is the Q&A webinar for Global Fact Check Fund.

 

Here is the FAQ Global Fact Check Fund.

 

We welcome you to register for our Q&A Webinar on Wednesday, April 19, at 1:00 PM GMT/UTC (9:00 AM ET) to learn more about the fund. Submit your questions using this form, and they will be addressed during the webinar.

Apply Now

Start your application for the BUILD grant.
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TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The grant program is subject to full Terms and Conditions are available here.

Steering Committee

  • Tai Nalon
    Executive Director, Aos Fatos
    Tai Nalon is a founder and the executive director of the award-winning disinformation watchdog Aos Fatos. She leads the team that won the 2020 Gabriel...
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  • Lucas Graves
    Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin - Madison
    Dr Lucas Graves is Associate Professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He was the former Acting Head of Research at the Reuters...
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  • Masato Kajimoto
    Associate Professor, HKU Journalism
    Masato Kajimoto, PhD, specializes in news literacy education, fact-checking, and misinformation ecosystem research in Asia. In 2019 he founded a not-for-profit organization called ANNIE (Asian...
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  • Jelena Vasic
    Project Manager, KRIK
    Jelena Vasic is a project manager at KRIK and investigative reporter who has worked with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). From 2012...
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  • Eugene Kiely
    Director of FactCheck.org
    Eugene Kiely is Director of FactCheck.org and a journalist who has covered government and politics since 1990. Prior to joining FactCheck.org, Kiely was a Washington...
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  • Dulamkhorloo Baatar
    Co-founder, Nest Mongolia
    Dulamkhorloo Baatar is a journalist, lecturer, fact-checker and an entrepreneur aiming to create a friendly working environment for freelance journalists in Mongolia through the platform...
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  • Caroline Anipah
    Deputy Director, Center for Journalism Innovation and Development
    Caroline Anipah is the Country Representative of Dubawa (Ghana) and Expansion Lead at the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID). Prior to this role,...
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  • Bharat Gupta
    CEO, Vishvas News
    Bharat Gupta is the Chief Executive Officer of Jagran New Media, the digital wing of India’s largest print and radio publisher group, Jagran Prakashan Ltd....
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