Learn about grants for journalism and media by exploring the curated list of top journalism and media funders below. Members can also research funding opportunities by using the search tool for GrantFinder. Become a member.
Journalism Grantmaking Trends
Around the world, a free and fair press serves as a fundamental pillar of democracy. However, according to recent reports, more than one-fourth of the United States’ newspapers have closed permanently, leaving millions of residents in ever-expanding news deserts. The once dominant, ad-driven business model that sustained American newspapers for decades has shifted as new, digital vehicles for disseminating information dominate reporting.
Several billionaires have come to dominate the news business. Among them, Michael Bloomberg and Rupert Murdoch are long-time media moguls who made their fortunes in the news business, continuing a century’s long tradition of making one’s fortunes selling the news (or some form of it). Other billionaires like Jeff Bezos, the latest owner of the Washington Post, and Patrick Soon-Shiong, who owns the Los Angeles Times, bought publications as a side business. And whether one likes it or not, Mark Zuckerberg has become a media mogul in his own right. With few exceptions, these billionaires, who also twilight as philanthropists, still operate their newsrooms like traditional businesses, which means they are investors rather than philanthropists. This bottom-line approach to news media has resulted in the proliferation of news meant to increase organic search results and click-through rates.
In contrast, a handful of foundations broadly support nonprofit journalism. Many grant opportunities are issue-specific. Inside Philanthropy researches and captures developments in how this area of grantmaking is evolving, as well as IP’s journalism news section. If you’re looking for support for documentary film, make sure to check out our funding guide for film grants.
The decline of print journalism and locally owned media corresponds with the rise of social media platforms that are largely focused on collecting detailed consumer information rather than ensuring a well-informed global citizenry. In response, philanthropy for journalism and media has increased significantly over the past decade in order to recalibrate an industry set against a transformed digital media landscape.
Foundations for Journalism and Media
A BLADE OF GRASS
A Blade of Grass seeks social change through the arts. It supports of out-of-the- artistic thinkers and artists through fellowship programs.
ALEXIA FOUNDATION
Alexia supports photojournalists whose work highlights social injustice and promotes cultural understanding.
ANGELICA FOUNDATION
This progressive funder prioritizes work related to freedom of the press, as well as protection for journalists in Mexico and Latin America. In particular, the foundation funds work that exposes governmental corruption, especially in regions where reporters are frequently assassinated over their work.
ARTHUR VINING DAVIS FOUNDATIONS
Media arts grants from Arthur Vining Davis focus on the use of public television programming as an educational tool. The foundation awards grants in all types of subject matter.
ASSOCIATION OF HEALTH CARE JOURNALISTS
AHCJ awards fellowships to working journalists who cover health care.
THE BEN BAGDIKIAN FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
The Ben Bagdikian Fellowship Program supports media and journalism through three fellowship programs in San Francisco, New York City and Washington, DC.
BEST BUY FOUNDATION
The philanthropic arm of the retail electronics giant funds programs that teach technology-based 21st-century skills to teens age 13 to 18. Its support for journalism emphasizes media production skills.
BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA
Black Public Media runs training and funding programs for filmmakers and teams producing works that bring the global Black experience to broad audiences.
PETER AND CARMEN LUCIA BUCK FOUNDATION
PCLB funds high-quality investigative journalism, professional training, and efforts to make new investigative data-gathering and distribution tools available to journalists.
CARNEGIE CORPORATION OF NEW YORK
The Carnegie Corporation of New York does not have a dedicated journalism grantmaking program, but awards such grants through its other priority programs.
THE CARTER CENTER
The Carter Center is a nonpartisan organization with a global purview. It prioritizes projects that promote peace and combat disease.
CHANNEL FOUNDATION
The Channel Foundation supports organizations combating gender inequality around the world.
THE COMMONWEALTH FUND
The Fund’s grants for journalism focus on health care journalism.
COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
The Council on Foreign Relations offers a grouping of fellowships that align with the organization’s foreign policy interests.
DART CENTER FOR JOURNALISM & TRAUMA
The Dart Center prioritizes journalism that addresses violence, conflict, and trauma and its effect on individuals, families, and communities.
DIGITAL DEFENDERS PARTNERSHIP
The Digital Defenders Partnership only provides grants to journalists and bloggers who face an urgent digital emergency” due to their online activities.
DONALD W. REYNOLDS JOURNALISM INSTITUTE
The Reynolds Journalism Institute seeks to partner journalists, scholars, and the business community to help improve journalism for a stronger democracy.
MAX AND VICTORIA DREYFUS FOUNDATION
Funder created for famed music publisher Max Dreyfus, who worked with American greats like George Gershwin and Cole Porter, provides smaller grants that make a big difference.
EDITORIAL PROJECTS IN EDUCATION
EPE prioritizes K-12 education and publishes Education Week, chronicler of important education news.
EMERSON COLLECTIVE
The Emerson Collective supports education, immigration reform, the environment, health and social justice.
INASMUCH FOUNDATION
This foundation does not make grants to individual journalists and limits its grantmaking to journalism schools and organizations. The foundation likes to center its grantmaking on professional development, investigative journalism and youth education.
EUROPEAN JOURNALISM CENTRE
This funder supports European journalism by providing access to new ideas, techniques, people, and funding.
F THREE FOUNDATION
The main focus of F Three Foundation's journalism grants is investigative journalism.
FIRSTENERGY FOUNDATION
If you’re operating in a community that receives FirstEnergy services (and it’s a healthy list), the FirstEnergy Foundation is a supporter of established local media broadcast organizations.
FLEDGLING FUND
With the motto of “helping stories take flight," the Fledgling Fund's aim is to help smaller films, documentary projects, and "creative media" projects get off the ground and stay aloft. Its goals are centered strictly around social issues like human rights and economic justice.
FLORA FAMILY FOUNDATION
This foundation supports journalistic initiatives throughout the U.S. and beyond. Flora does not accept unsolicited requests for funding. Grant proposals are considered by invitation only.
FORD FOUNDATION
Ford tends to focus on projects that work toward the promotion of social justice and the exploration of social justice issues. Media-related programs within Ford’s Freedom of Expression Initiative include Justice and Media, Advancing Public Service Media and Advancing Media Rights and Access.
FOUNDATION FOR DEEP ECOLOGY
FDE primarily makes grants for journalism that build intellectual infrastructure to facilitate the conservation movement.
FOUNDATION FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE
The Foundation for Middle East Peace supports educational, humanitarian, public affairs, and civil rights organizations seeking to contribute peaceful solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
FREELANCE INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS AND EDITORS
FIRE supports a range of journalistic projects, which includes print, photojournalism, radio, documentary film, and theater.
FREE PRESS UNLIMITED FOUNDATION
Free Press Unlimited supports journalists and media organizations facing attacks, persecution, threats, and harassment.
FUND FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM
FIJ awards grants to journalists working to expose corruption, malfeasance and misuse of power.
GANNETT FOUNDATION / TEGNA FOUNDATION
This corporate funder supports journalism education and training programs, as well as programs to advance technology in the journalism industry. It prioritizes programs that include women, minorities, and college students in the field.
WALLACE ALEXANDER GERBODE FOUNDATION
The Gerbode Foundation invests in journalism and media through its Advancing Truth initiative, which seeks counter misinformation and embrace diverse narrative perspectives.
GRANTHAM FOUNDATION
The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment is one of the principle philanthropic vehicles of British investor Jeremy Grantham and his wife Hannelore. It focuses exclusively on environment and climate change grantmaking. Grants for journalism in this space focus on climate change reporting.
GRUBER FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Gruber Family Foundation awards broad journalism grants to organizations operating across the United States. It prioritizes progressive and investigative journalism.
HARRY FRANK GUGGENHEIM FOUNDATION
Guggenheim’s journalism grants focus on ethical reporting for criminal justice.
HEISING-SIMONS FOUNDATION
The Heising-Simons Foundation supports journalistic endeavors related to its grantmaking priorities, which include climate change, clean energy, education, human rights, science, and local opportunities.
HUMANITY UNITED
Humanity United, an offshoot of the Omidyar Group, makes grants for the prevention of human trafficking, peace-building and journalism. It also conducts its own policy development work in its areas of interest.
KAHLE-AUSTIN FOUNDATION
This organization funds digital media preservation rather than journalism directly. Brewster Kahle is the founder and head digital librarian of the Internet Archive, a “digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form.” The Internet Archive is the Kahle-Austin Foundation’s largest grant recipient.
HENRY J. KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION
This foundation supports health journalism but doesn’t accept unsolicited funding requests for grants. However, there are internships and fellowships available for journalists regarding training in health reporting.
KAVLI FOUNDATION
Kavli Foundation grants several awards in the field of science journalism.
INDEPENDENT TELEVISION SERVICE
ITVS likes to fund new programs for public and cable television as well as new media projects on the Internet. ITVS has a special place in its heart for programs that address the needs of underserved and underrepresented television and new media audiences.
INSTITUTE FOR JOURNALISM & NATURAL RESOURCES
IJNR only supports journalism related to environmental and natural resource issues.
INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR JOURNALISTS
The International Center for Journalists runs fellowship, awards and accelerator programs with a strong focus on developing nations and investigative journalism.
INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY ASSOCIATION
This foundation supports documentaries by journalists, among others.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S MEDIA FOUNDATION
IWMF awards grants to female journalists working in all media formats, including photography, film, and television.
KNIGHT FOUNDATION
One of the few major funders that supports journalism. Knight's interests include First Amendment rights and journalistic excellence in the digital age.
JACOB AND VALERIA LANGELOTH FOUNDATION
The Langeloth Foundation supports journalism and media that reports on and informs the public about the foundation’s two main areas of interest: criminal justice reform and gun violence.
JONATHAN LOGAN FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Jonathan Logan Foundation awards grants to investigative journalism projects taking place in the United States and around the world.
REVA AND DAVID LOGAN FOUNDATION
The Reva and David Logan Foundation awards investigative journalism grants to organizations across the country.
LUMINA FOUNDATION
The Lumina Foundation does not name journalism or media projects as areas of grantmaking interest, but several recent grants have supported projects in these areas in recent years.
MACARTHUR FOUNDATION
Awarding national and international grants, the MacArthur Foundation Media Program supports the production of news, documentaries (for television), radio and Internet journalism.
MEDIA DEMOCRACY FUND
The Media Democracy Fund supports organizations that protect people’s freedom of expression and their right to communicate in the digital age.
MEDIA DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENT FUND
The Media Investment Fund invests in independent media outlets located in select countries world.
MIZE FAMILY FOUNDATION
Mize’s journalism and media grantmaking stems from its Innovative Media program and supports “organizations working in traditional and new media, who use creative methods to effectively communicate issues related to climate change and environmental justice.”
MOZILLA FOUNDATION
The Mozilla Foundation is committed to supporting “individual and collective actions that advance a more human-centered internet” and has created and funded several programs that aim to support the democratization of information, improved connectivity and equitable regulation of the online world.
NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH CARE MANAGEMENT FOUNDATION
NIHCM funds healthcare journalism. Topics of interest include cost and quality of care, healthcare reform, coverage, Medicare and more.
NEWMAN’S OWN FOUNDATION
The foundation supports independent media with grants for “grassroots journalism, training for emerging journalists, and programming for independent media organizations.”
CRAIG NEWMARK PHILANTHROPIES
The Craig Newmark Philanthropies supports organizations working with veterans and military families, journalism, voter protection, women in technology, A.I. and cybersecurity.
OMIDYAR NETWORK
Your organization may qualify for an Omidyar Network grant if your journalistic or media-related work falls into one of the network’s five grantmaking strategies—Consumer/Internet/Mobile, Entrepreneurship, Financial Inclusion, Governance and Citizen Engagement, and Property Rights.
OPEN MEADOWS FOUNDATION
Open Meadows grants support women and girls leading and benefitting from projects that address activism and social justice.
OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS
The Open Society Foundations' journalism grantmaking covers issues like media access, freedom of information, health media and freedom in media.
PARK FOUNDATION
The Park Foundation prioritizes investigative journalism, media policy, public broadcasting and documentary film.
PATAGONIA
Patagonia supports journalism projects related to conservation and climate change via its media grants program.
ALICIA PATTERSON FOUNDATION
Provides six-month and one-year grants to working print journalists pursuing investigative projects.
PEN AMERICA
This funder supports an array of writing projects, like biographies and nonfiction, completed by journalists.
PUFFIN FOUNDATION
The Puffin Foundation provides ongoing support to several organizations involved in investigative journalism.
PULITZER CENTER ON CRISIS REPORTING
Pulitzer supports journalists working on important but underreported stories around the world.
DOROTHEA AND LEO RABKIN FOUNDATION
The foundation funds arts journalism.
RADIO TELEVISION DIGITAL NEWS FOUNDATION
RTDNF provides scholarships for student journalists and fellowships for early career and minority journalists.
RORY PECK TRUST
The Rory Peck Trust awards grants to freelance newsgatherers around the world.
ROTH FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Roth Family Foundation supports broadly journalism by making grants to “nonprofit organizations whose programs are innovative and informative for radio, television and other media.”
SCHOONER FOUNDATION
The Schooner Foundation’s grants focus on progressive media, politics, and campaign finance reform.
SCRIPPS HOWARD FOUNDATION
Scripps Howard is an approachable funder supporting multimedia education, First Amendment causes, controversial topics, research and career development.
STEPHEN M. SILBERSTEIN FOUNDATION
While the Stephen M. Silberstein Foundation does not have a website, tax filings suggest a broad, but progressive interest in media and journalism.
ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION
The first rule of the Sloan Foundation’s media arts grantmaking is that your organization's work has to revolve around science. The second is that your work, whether in books, television, radio, theater, or other media, must explore and promote the how science affects everyday lives.
W. EUGENE SMITH FUND
The funder offers grants and fellowships for photojournalism.
STANFORD UNIVERSITY JSK FELLOWSHIPS
JSK fellowships bring journalists from across the globe to Stanford for a yearlong immersive program.
SUNDANCE INSTITUTE
What media artist, especially those working in film and documentaries, doesn’t want a little piece of that Sundance magic? Sundance offers fellowships as well as grants for short films, native films, film music and production.
SUNLIGHT FOUNDATION
Sunlight provides grants across the country to journalists and organizations making government more accountable and accessible. Has a big interest in technology and data solutions.
TEGNA FOUNDATION
The TEGNA Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the media and digital company TEGNA, Inc. TEGNA is the parent company of over 50 television stations. This funder’s journalism grants are diverse, but prioritize journalism education.
TOW FOUNDATION
Tow’s journalism grants focus on strengthening free and independent journalism in the U.S., including initiatives for journalism education, data driven approaches to reporting and initiatives to support rigor and integrity in the production of news.
TRELLIS CHARITABLE FUND
Trellis demonstrates a strong, but broad commitment to journalism and news organizations involved in human rights and social justice reporting.
TRIBECA FILM INSTITUTE
Tribeca is like Sundance’s twin sibling, and its grants are just as coveted by independent filmmakers the world over.
UNITED STATES ARTISTS
This funder gives out $50,000 grants directly to artistic creators each year. Notably, this organization often regards journalists as artists—a key factor is the creativity and platform with which a journalist reports.
WALLACE GLOBAL FUND
The Wallace Global Fund supports progressive investigative journalism outlets.
WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION
The Wikimedia Foundation, a nonprofit known for producing, hosting and maintaining some of the worlds most well-respected information sharing projects, makes grants to support information equity. This funder prioritizes projects that benefit underrepresented and marginalized communities around the world.
WOMEN PHOTOGRAPH
This foundation supports work that centers on female documentary photographers around the world.
WOODCOCK FOUNDATION
The Woodcock Foundation has also recently developed an interest in supporting independent journalism in the U.S., although this is a smaller area of giving at this time.
WYNCOTE FOUNDATION
Supports journalism and public media, with a focus on systemic initiatives that link journalistic resources.
Additional Resources
Mindful Philanthropy, a funder collaborative launched with the Center for High Impact Philanthropy at UPenn that aims to “expand philanthropy for mental health, addiction and community well-being initiatives.”
Grantmakers in Health, the largest philanthropic affinity group in the sector, has a section of its website dedicated to behavioral health with research, opinion pieces and meeting information for interested funders.
National Alliance on Mental Illness is perhaps the best known association in the country focused on mental health concerns. Be sure to see what NAMI is up to, especially as it relates to advocacy and public policy around mental health stigma and integration with physical health.
Other Notable Funders
Some foundations, a few of them rather large, focus their media arts funding in specific areas of the country. Here are a few notable ones:
American Society of Journalists and Authors: Provides an emergency assistance fund for writers, as well as a number of awards.
Heinz Endowment: Supporting film and video documentary efforts in the greater Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and its surrounding cities.
International Women's Media Foundation: Offers an assortment of grants and awards to back women journalists around the world, including the Courage in Journalism Awards.
James Irvine Foundation: Awarding grants in California only, the James Irvine Foundation gives a few film grants for documentaries.
Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation: Awards $5,000 grants to short films and documentaries that highlight "pressing social issues" such as poverty, oppression, war, famine, and religious and political persecution.
