Emergency journalism funding programs open to Canada

The below is a continually-updated list of emergency funding programs that are open to Canadian news organizations, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. If there are opportunities you would like to see added, please email us: info@newsmediacanada.ca 

Facebook

• GRANTS: cash grants and ad credits
• SPECIFIC FOCUS: Small non-media-specific business Grants programme.
• ELIGIBILITY: Have between 2 and 50 employees. Have been in business for over a year. Have experienced challenges from COVID-19. Be in or near a location where Facebook operates
• DEADLINE: more details as they become available
• APPLY: https://www.facebook.com/business/boost/grants

Google

• GRANTS: Grants will range from the low thousands (USD/Euro) for small hyper-local newsrooms to low tens of thousands for larger newsrooms, with variations per region.
• SPECIFIC FOCUS: Journalism Emergency Relief. Newsroom size of between 2 and 100 staff journalists. Local publishers employing more than 100 FTE journalists can apply and will be considered subject to Google’s discretion, based mainly on differing needs by country/regions.
• ELIGIBILITY: Small- and medium-sized local news organizations producing original news for local communities with a digital presence
• DEADLINE: April 29, 2020
• APPLY: https://newsinitiative.withgoogle.com/journalism-emergency-relief-fund

Internews

• GRANTS: $500 to $5,000
• SPECIFIC FOCUS: “Creation, production and dissemination of information related to the COVID/Coronavirus that will keep people safe and help them make informed decisions for themselves, their families and communities: scientific developments, symptoms and treatment, local health policies and procedures, daily useful local community news and information etc.”
• ELIGIBILITY: Media outlets, organizations and individuals who are working to provide local language journalism and other forms of public information related to the COVID/Coronavirus pandemic and its impacts
• DEADLINE: One-time only and grants should be spent within 30 days
• APPLY: https://internews.org/information-saves-lives-rapid-response-fund-application-guidelines-and-form

IWMF International Women Media Foundation

• GRANTS: Up to $2,000 USD per request though special consideration will be given on a case-by-case basis to those have greater financial need.
• SPECIFIC FOCUS: The IWMF’s Journalism Relief Fund provides women-identifying journalists with the following: Living assistance to prevent homelessness and food insecurity, Acute medical care and mental health services, Childcare, Legal support
• ELIGIBILITY: Be a staff or freelance woman-identifying reporter, working in any medium, whose primary profession is journalism (priority would be given to freelancers and journalists recently laid off). Has worked full-time as a journalist within six months of applying for assistance. Apply for assistance directly related to the global health crisis. And, has no other sources of income available at this time.
• APPLY: https://iwmf.submittable.com/submit/41e7f7ce-db40-4ff6-873f-e24450e27497/journalism-relief-fund-english

National Geographic

• GRANTS: Ranging from $1,000–8,000 USD. Applicants may use up to 100 per cent of their budget as personal reimbursement for their reporting time.
• SPECIFIC FOCUS: For local coverage of the preparation, response, and impact of this global pandemic as seen through evidence-based reporting. Beyond reporting on medical and physical health-related to COVID-19, the National Geographic especially encourages reporting that covers social, emotional, economic and equity issues. Narratives around the Pandemic necessarily include facts and numbers, but ultimately, must also go deeper—telling the stories of inequities that COVID-19 has brought to light.
• ELIGIBILITY: Writers, photographers, videographers, audio journalists, cartographers, filmmakers, and data visualization experts
• DEADLINE: Call for proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Applications may be submitted until further notice.
• APPLY: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/funding-opportunities/grants/what-we-fund/covid-19-emergency-fund/

Pulitzer Center

• GRANTS: Most awards for international reporting/travel program are between $5,000 and $10,000.
• SPECIFIC FOCUS: Coronavirus News Collaboration Challenge. Groups of freelance journalists working together and groups of newsrooms collaborating on a project. They strongly encourage proposals from journalists and newsrooms that represent a broad array of social, racial, ethnic, underrepresented groups, and economic backgrounds.
• ELIGIBILITY: All independent journalists and newsrooms in the United States and other countries
• DEADLINE: Ongoing, until further notice
• APPLY: https://pulitzercenter.org/coronavirus-news-collaboration-challenge?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_campaign=CoronavirusNewsCollaborationChallenge20200318