What does the US suspending foreign assistance mean for journalism support programs?
Worker owned newsrooms, Big Tech vs EU, publishers beating creators on Youtube and 21 active calls.
Welcome!
This week on the Media Finance Monitor:
What does the US suspending foreign assistance mean for journalism support programs?
Big Tech vs the EU information ecosystem
Some good examples of worker owned newsrooms
Comparing the biggest news publishers and news creators on YouTube
Help us with our media funding research!
AI, fair compensation and the nature of capitalism
21 active calls (4 new)
What does the US suspending foreign assistance mean for journalism support programs?
As part of the first wave of executive orders, President Trump suspended all foreign assistance for 90 days pending review. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is tasked with this review and last week said:
Every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to three simple questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?
I’m not really in a position to say whether supporting independent journalism abroad makes America safer, stronger, or more prosperous. I do believe that access to reliable information increases political stability, reduces the chance of violence, and contributes to prosperity and growth. These are good things for everyone, including but not limited to the US.
The temporary suspension of foreign aid by a new administration is not unheard of. There is a pretty good piece on Devex about what the transition will likely mean. The sentiment expressed there is that “politically sensitive” programs are likely to be held up. The examples given are family planning and climate change-related support, but I think some journalism programs could fall into the same category. This may especially be true for anything related to disinformation, as fact-checking = censorship is becoming the dominant political paradigm.
US government-funded development programs are often run by implementing partners. This is true for most journalism support programs. These implementers have contracts with the US government, which means getting out of ongoing obligations may take some doing, but it’s not impossible. David Berteau, president and CEO of the Professional Services Council, explains in the Devex article:
“The federal government has several options available with respect to ongoing contracts. It can deobligate funds not yet expended, it can modify tasks or contracts (with or without commensurate consideration in the contract), it can issue a stop-work order of temporary but perhaps unspecified duration, or it can terminate the contract (perhaps for cause, but more likely for the convenience of the government).”
He says he expects more disruption than usual.
On one hand, President Trump and others in the incoming administration have made it clear they want to significantly reconfigure US public spending in general and foreign assistance specifically (feel free to anger-translate this into your own language). On the other hand, CEE journalism support programs were a result of a bipartisan Congressional earmark. They are tiny compared to the US’s annual aid budget, and even if the new administration doesn’t believe these programs are worthy of support, disrupting them immediately is a lot more involved than letting them expire.
There’s very little reliable information about what’s to come, but I still feel the general expectation in the sector is for these programs to continue until the autumn, or even the end of 2025, depending on the project and contract. After that, they may disappear. This is the “optimistic” scenario compared to the current suspension followed by immediate termination, which may also be within the realm of possibility.
If it’s any consolation, major new funding is heading to CEE news media, and we want to change the way journalism is funded in Europe to build a safe, resilient and sovereign European information ecosystem.
Big Tech vs the EU information ecosystem
Still connected to US politics and the new administration, Google is withdrawing from the anti-disinformation commitments outlined by the EU. This decision will likely impact not only the prevalence of disinformation on Google-owned platforms like YouTube and Search but also funding for media initiatives.
Google has been the primary supporter of to the European Media and Information Fund (EMIF), but their initial contribution is set to run out in a few months. To me, this move appears to signal that they are not planning to renew their funding. Many in the media sector are nervously watching the fate of Google’s other journalism support programs, such as the Google News Initiative (GNI), which remains a significant resource for many newsrooms.
The relationship between big tech and the news media was always contentious, and the US political shifts are now escalating the conflict. (Read about what Meta’s new policies might mean for media funding here.)
Some good examples of worker owned newsrooms
Poynter recently published an article about the new wave of worker-owned newsrooms, spotlighting some of my favorite media startups: Defector and 404 Media.
Defector, founded and owned by former Deadspin writers, reported $4.6 million in revenue and $100,000 in profit in 2024. For anyone building—or planning to build—an independent media business, their latest annual report is essential reading. It provides detailed insights into their strategy, challenges, and successes. (You can also listen to an excellent conversation with their COO, Jasper Wang, here.)
404, a technology website launched by four former Motherboard writers, is also in the black. 404 runs on Ghost and, among other things, offers workshops on how to file Freedom of Information requests.
If you know about a profitable, worker-owned newsroom / publisher in Europe, God forbid CEE, drop us a line. We'd love to cover it.
Comparing the biggest news publishers and news creators on Youtube
The Press Gazette recently published some revealing charts comparing the reach of the largest mainstream news publishers and top independent news creators on YouTube.
In terms of sheer numbers, legacy media is holding its own. When comparing the top five mainstream publishers to the top five news creators, legacy media leads in both subscriber count and total views.
But when it comes to efficiency, the difference is staggering. While the Joe Rogan Cinematic Universe may no longer be filmed on an iPhone in someone’s basement, even the most generous estimates of creator production costs are orders of magnitude lower than those of legacy publishers. The scale and effectiveness of these independent creators are simply extraordinary. So much so, that MrBeast is now officially bidding for TikTok. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Help us with our media funding research!
The Center for Sustainable Media (that’s us), with professional support from Mertek Media Monitor, is conducting research into the EU’s media funding practices. We’re mapping the past 10 years of spending (results expected around February) and inviting publishers to participate in a questionnaire about their experiences accessing European funding and the types of support they believe would be most useful.
The survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete and will help us identify what works and what doesn’t with the current EU funding schemes. This insight will enable us to advocate for meaningful reforms.
Your responses and data will remain strictly confidential and will be used exclusively for this research project. Only anonymized and aggregated data will be published. If you have any questions, feel free to respond to this email.
See the questionnaire here.
Thank you for considering this! Your input truly makes a difference.
AI, fair compensation and the nature of capitalism
I was interviewed by the excellent Elena Köhler from DW Freedom, so if you are interested in what I think about AI scarping, fair compensation for publishers and if we can change the nature of capitalism, make sure to read it. (After completing the survey above, of course. Eat your vegetables!)
Here are the active calls, with the largest at the top:
Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) - NEW
Who: European Commission
How much: EUR 75,000 - 8,000,000
What is it for: Countering disinformation, information manipulation and interference in the democratic debate
How long: 12 - 24 months
Deadline: April 29th, 2025
Eligible countries: EU member states (including overseas countries and territories), countries associated to the CERV Programme or countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement and where the agreement enters into force before grant signature
A European public sphere: a new online media offer for young Europeans
Who: European Commission
How much: EUR 1,500,000 and EUR 3,200,000
What is it for: Engage young Europeans in pan-European discussions
How long: 12-14 months
Deadline: March 24th, 2025
Eligible countries: EU Member States, including overseas countries and territories
Journalism Partnerships - Pluralism
Who: European Commission
How much: Up to EUR 2,500,000
What is it for: Protection of independent media and journalism
How long: Up to 24 months
Deadline: February 27th, 2025
Eligible countries: Creative Europe participating countries (EU member states and non-EU countries associated to the Creative Europe Programme)
Prevention of irregular migration through awareness raising
Who: European Commission
How much: EUR 1,250,000 - 2,500,000
What is it for: Prevent irregular migration through information campaigns
How long: 36 months
Deadline: April 1st, 2025
Eligible countries: EU Member States, including overseas countries and territories
Journalism Partnerships - Collaborations
Who: European Commission
How much: Up to EUR 2,000,000
What is it for: Cross-border media collaborations
How long: Up to 24 months
Deadline: February 27th, 2025
Eligible countries: Creative Europe participating countries (EU member states and non-EU countries associated to the Creative Europe Programme)
Internet Freedom Fund
Who: Open Technology Fund (OTF)
How much: USD 10,000 - 900,000
What is it for: Support innovative internet freedom projects
How long: Up to 24 months
Deadline: Rolling applications
Eligible countries: Global, except those subject to U.S. trade restrictions or export sanctions
Media Literacy
Who: European Commission
How much: Up to EUR 500,000
What is it for: Media literacy
How long: Up to 24 months
Deadline: March 6th, 2025
Eligible countries: Creative Europe participating countries (EU member states and non-EU countries associated to the Creative Europe Programme)
UNDEF Project Grants - NEW
Who: United Nations Democracy Fund
How much: USD 100,000 - 200,000
What is it for: Media and freedom of information
How long: 24 months
Deadline: February 28th, 2025
Eligible countries: Global (preference for countries that are in the transition and consolidation phases of democratization, in particular countries emerging from conflict, new and restored democracies, least developed countries and low or middle-income countries).
U.S. Embassy Tirana PAS Annual Program
Who: U.S. Mission to Albania
How much: Up to USD 100,000
What is it for: Promote professionalism and integrity in media reporting
How long: 6-24 months
Deadline: May 21st, 2025
Eligible countries: Albania
Boosting Fact-Checking Activities in Europe
Who: European Media and Information Fund
How much: Up to EUR 55,000
What is it for: Combat mis- and disinformation
How long: Up to 6 months
Deadline: February 28th, 2025
Eligible countries: EU, EFTA and UK
Strengthened Regional Networks and Cross-thematic Partnerships
Who: New Democracy Fund
How much: Up to EUR 53,000
What is it for: Strengthen regional and cross-thematic alliances
How long: Up to 12 months
Deadline: Ongoing
Eligible countries: Eastern Neighbourhood Countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine)
IJ4EU’s Investigation Support Scheme - NEW
Who: IJ4EU
How much: Up to EUR 50,000
What is it for: Cross-border investigative journalism
Deadline: March 10th, 2025
Eligible countries: All 27 EU member states and the following non-EU countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Ukraine.
Democracy Commission Small Grants Program 2025
Who: U.S. Mission to North Macedonia
How much: Up to USD 50,000
What is it for: Cybersecurity, media literacy
How long: 3 to 12 months
Deadline: March 31st, 2025
Eligible countries: North Macedonia
Visegrad Grants
Who: Visegrad Fund
How much: Up to EUR 30,000
What is it for: Media literacy, disinformation, transparency
How long: Up to 18 months
Deadline: February 1st, 2025
Eligible countries: V4 countries (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia). * Consortia required.
Visegrad+ Grants
Who: Visegrad Fund
How much: Up to EUR 30,000
What is it for: Media literacy, disinformation, transparency
How long: Up to 18 months
Deadline: February 1st, 2025
Eligible countries: V4 countries (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia), Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia) and the Eastern Partnership regions (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine). * Consortia required (the consortium composition determines eligibility).
U.S. Embassy Sofia PDS Annual Program
Who: U.S. Mission to Bulgaria
How much: Up to USD 25,000
What is it for: Strengthen media, promote media and digital literacy
How long: Up to 12 months
Deadline: August 1st, 2025
Eligible countries: Bulgaria
MVA Forward
Who: MVA
How much: Up to USD 25,000
What is it for: Media support
How long: Up to 12 months
Deadline: June 4th, 2025 - Rolling applications
Eligible countries: Global (low- and middle-income countries preferred)
Professional Development Grants for Environmental Journalism
Who: Journalismfund Europe
How much: Up to EUR 20,000
What is it for: Capacity building of environmental investigative journalists
How long: Up to 12 months
Deadline: February 13th, 2025
Eligible countries: European countries
REINFORCING - Responsible Digitalizations
Who: REINFORCING
How much: Up to EUR 20,000
What is it for: Fighting misinformation and manipulation
How long: 8 months
Deadline: January 30th, 2025
Eligible countries: EU countries (member States or associated countries)
Marine Conservation Targets Media Grants - NEW
Who: Earth Journalism Network
How much: USD 10,000
What is it for: Supporting journalism on 30x30 marine conservation targets
How long: 6 months
Deadline: February 7th, 2025
Eligible countries: Coastal countries (in CEE, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Poland, and others could participate).
Pluralistic Media for Democracy
Who: Journalismfund Europe and IMS
How much: Unclear (call amount: EUR 700,000)
What is it for: Support media in "news deserts"
Deadline: February 13th, 2025
Eligible countries: EU 27 countries, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
Until the next issue, thanks for reading and take care.
Peter Erdelyi and the rest of the Center for Sustainable Media team