A total of 136 media organisations applied for the first call for submissions for the Media Forward Fund, which was launched in 2024. The jury has now selected four of them for funding. Among the first four funding partners, there are two media organisations from Switzerland and Austria each. Two editorial teams focus on investigative work; one media outlet is aimed at people with disabilities. In addition to financial support, the selected funding partners receive support and advice on media law, business model development and capacity building.

The first cross-border fund for journalism funding in Germany, Austria and Switzerland was initiated by the Schöpflin Foundation and Publix in collaboration with nine other foundations and an impact investor; in the meantime, further organisations have joined. The aim is to strengthen diversity in journalism and thus also democracy by promoting independent quality media.

 

The recipients – investigative and inclusive

The Swiss media outlet ‘Reflekt’ from Bern is receiving 300,000 euros. In the future, ‘Reflekt’ wants to reach younger target groups with the results of its investigative research more effectively and is therefore focusing on the production of video content for social media. They have already published their first successful social videos. The second investigative medium to receive money from the Media Forward Fund is ‘Dossier’ from Vienna. For over twelve years, the medium has been publishing reports on corruption, exploitation and abuse of power. With the financial support of 390,000 euros, ‘Dossier’ wants to increase its reach by bringing investigative research to the theatre stage.

Also based in Vienna, Medienhaus andererseits is a community-based editorial office where people with and without disabilities work together on a print magazine, two newsletters and investigative research. 'Medienhaus andererseits' particularly impressed the jury with its achievements in producing credible, inclusive journalism that meets quality journalistic standards, without being deterred by time and cost factors. With a grant of 400,000 euros, the Media Forward Fund is helping 'Medienhaus andererseits' to expand its distribution channels and thereby reach more people.

The fourth media outlet to receive funding is the Swiss ‘Tsüri’. The digital city magazine from Zurich targets a predominantly young audience with its newsletter. With the help of the 400,000 euros in funding, ‘Tsüri’ now wants to expand this offering with a new hyperlocal newsletter and also report on smaller niche topics in the region, specifically the housing crisis in the city. In doing so, Tsüri aims to more than double the number of paying members. This is what convinced the jury: ‘Devoting itself to an additional hyperlocal topic in the future in order to attract additional members is an exciting experiment that few have dared to try so far’.