Journalism Funding

An informed public is the prerequisite for the functioning of our democracy. To achieve this, we need media that provide a high-quality and appealing range of information. For several years, journalism has been in a transition. Interest in journalistic, informative content is declining, and the profits of many media companies are falling. Media must develop new offers and adapt their revenue models to keep pace with media change and digitization.
To counter these developments, we have been actively working since 2010 with various approaches and partners to support critical journalism, improve the conditions for journalistic work, and foster more innovation in the media sector.

Publix

With the goal of strengthening journalism and its essential role for democracy, we founded Publix, the House for Journalism and Public Debate, in Berlin. Publix aims to help ensure a diverse and independent media landscape in Germany and Europe, to promote journalistic innovation, to strengthen democratic discourse and to counter disinformation.

Publix - House of Journalism, Berlin
Photo: Lucia Hofmaier
More about PUBLIX

Media Forward Fund

A vibrant media landscape requires a diversity of quality media with sustainable business models. Together with nine other foundations and an impact investor, in 2024 we initiated the Media Forward Fund. The fund pools funding for media in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, supporting the development of new business models in public-interest-oriented media. In the meantime, further sponsors have joined.

More about Media Forward Fund

We are convinced that, alongside public service broadcasting and profit-driven publishing houses, we need more public-interest journalism as a third pillar. Public-interest journalism means that the profits generated from journalism are not fully extracted but instead reinvested into the newsroom and journalistic work. This approach is exemplified by both Publix and the Media Forward Fund in their efforts.

Additionally, we need more legal certainty for non-profit journalism in Germany to facilitate the establishment of new media offerings. Since 2021, we have therefore been part of the »Forum gemeinnütziger Journalismus«, in which more than thirty non-profit media, foundations and NGOs have come together.

JX Fund

In many countries, the media are not only under economic pressure, but their very existence is threatened by the repression of authoritarian governments. Together with »Reporter ohne Grenzen« (Reportes Without Borders)  and the Rudolf Augstein Foundation, we have set up the JX - Journalism in Exile Fund. It supports journalists who have fled war and crisis regions, helping them continue their work in exile quickly and flexibly.

[Translate to Englisch:] JX Fund
More about JX Fund

In recent years, we have collaborated in funding partnerships with numerous journalistic organizations such as Investigate Europe, Relevanzreporter and Amal. Since 2024, we have consolidated our efforts in journalism funding within the institutions Publix, MFF, and the JX Fund. Individual long-term partnerships continue as Legacy Grants.

Legacy Grants

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