National journalism funds: the new centre of gravity of journalism funding?

National journalism funds: the new centre of gravity of journalism funding?


Date

Fri 17 April 2026

Start time

09:30

Entry

Free

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The past year has brought a rapid and ruinous contraction in international aid and funding for public interest journalism around the world. But locally-led national journalism funds launched in the last couple of years in several countries are now hitting their stride.
These new funds are rooted in the needs of their local ecosystems, are rigorously designed, and are intended to be a long-term part of their societies. Unlike most international sources of support, they don't have an exit strategy or a programmatic end-date, and they share the same risks as the people and organisations they fund. Having been seeded by international support and funding, they are now starting to engage with and unlock local sources of capital - from local philanthropy to tech platforms and even government. These funds are also beginning to network with each other, sharing learning and tactics across contexts.
Is this growing global mesh of local funds the emerging centre of gravity of journalism funding? What is needed to make them a success? What does this mean for how we define 'sustainability'? Key leaders from funds in Brazil, Indonesia and Sierra Leone share their insights.
Moderated by Sameer Padania.


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Pages involved
Wahyu Dhyatmika
Wahyu Dhyatmika

Wahyu Dhyatmika is the Chairperson of the Indonesian Cyber Media Association (AMSI) and Chief Executive Officer of Tempo Digital. He previously served as editor-in-chief of Tempo Weekly News Magazine from 2019 to 2021. AMSI represents more than 500 digital news organizations across Indonesia, positioning it as a central institution in the country’s online media ecosystem. Wahyu advocates journalism as a public good and a cornerstone of a healthy, resilient information ecosystem. His work focuses on strengthening public-interest journalism in the digital era through citizen reporting, data-driven investigative methods, and collaborative newsroom models. He led Indonesia’s participation in the Panama Papers investigation in 2015. In 2017, together with several editors-in-chief of independent media outlets, he co-founded IndonesiaLeaks.id, a secure whistleblower platform supporting investigative reporting nationwide. In 2018, Wahyu was involved in the establishment of CekFakta.com, Indonesia’s first cross-media collaborative fact-checking initiative. He has also initiated multiple journalism projects at Tempo, including Tempo Witness (community reporting), Lapor Tempo (a public complaints platform), Tempo membership program, and the organization’s first ever fact-checking program. He is a recipient of the Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University (2014).

Ed Kargbo
Ed Kargbo

Edward Kargbo is a member of the board of the National Fund for Public Interest Media in Sierra Leone.

Carolina Oms
Carolina Oms

Carolina Oms is Director of Sustainability and Communications at the Brazilian Journalism Fund (FAJ), leading strategic partnerships and fundraising initiatives to strengthen independent public‑interest media in Brazil. FAJ supports local and independent news organisations across Brazil with multi‑year flexible grants, capacity‑building and research to strengthen journalism ecosystems and democratic participation. Carolina holds a Master’s in Public Administration and Government from Fundação Getulio Vargas, where she focused on reproductive rights and access‑to‑information policies, and is co‑founder of Instituto AzMina, a feminist journalism organisation using communication and technology to advance gender equality.

Sameer Padania
Sameer Padania

Sameer Padania runs independent consultancy Macroscope, which works with diverse stakeholders – including independent media, philanthropy, civil society, businesses, think tanks, & governments – on strategies, policies and funding mechanisms to defend, support & grow public interest journalism ecosystems around the world. He leads the Local News Plans initiative for the UK's Public Interest News Foundation, which includes the country's first Local News Fund in Newry, Northern Ireland, and is on a Visiting Fellowship with the German Marshall Fund's Cities Program. His reports include the Forum on Information and Democracy’s global report calling on governments to deliver A New Deal for Journalism, an overview of media and journalism festivals in the Global South, and guides on grantmaking to journalism, funding investigative journalism, and developing national funds for journalism. He writes an independent newsletter on journalism funding, and from 2019-2022, he wrote the Journalism ...

Festival Internazionale del Giornalismo
Festival Internazionale del Giornalismo

Il Festival Internazionale del Giornalismo di Perugia è un evento annuale che riunisce professionisti dei media, esperti di comunicazione e appassionati di informazione da tutto il mondo. Si svolge nel centro storico di Perugia e offre conferenze, dibattiti, workshop e opportunità di networking sui temi più rilevanti del giornalismo contemporaneo.

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