Apply for Amplify South Africa Cohort

The program is focused on enhancing revenue streams, expanding audience reach and exploring innovative business models, it builds on the successes of MDIF’s South Africa Media Innovation Program (SAMIP) which, from 2017 to 2023, worked with 27 media outlets and carried out six investments.

Amplify South Africa continues this legacy of advancing media innovation and offering a pathway for media outlets to thrive in the evolving digital landscape. The program is funded by the International Fund for Public Interest Media.

About Program

• Amplify South Africa invites existing independent media companies and non-profit organizations, as well as new ventures that are less than a year old, to apply.
• Over a two-year period, the Amplify South Africa cohort will develop the tools and skills needed to experiment with revenue and audience generation opportunities and test new business models. Amplify South Africa encourages collaboration and the cohort will have opportunities to participate in spaces created for co-learning and knowledge exchange.
• They are looking for independent media ranging from early stage, small scale to more established organizations serving both urban and rural audiences. Applicants should have innovative initiatives/projects that address issues impacting the organization’s sustainability and independence.

Funding Information

• In addition to bespoke coaching, the media cohort will have access to targeted grant funding, typically ranging from $5k-$25k per year, depending on the project.

Benefits

• Bespoke one-on-one coaching and training to drive business growth
• Diverse media management advice by local and international experts
• Support from media start-up specialists to identify and develop optimal business strategies and models
• Focus on developing new revenue streams and building audience, while maximizing engagement and customer experience
• Advice on organization, leadership, project structure and execution workflow
• Targeted grant funding tied to capacity support to maximize effectiveness
• Workshops, hands-on-training and opportunities to connect with industry experts and fellow participants to gain insights from successful real-world examples

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must be media outlets based in South Africa, independent from the government or any other political or economic interest group.
• Applicants must be supportive of democratic practices and institutions, political pluralism, transparency, human rights, dignity and equal rights for all, regardless of race, ethnic or social origin, gender, sex, sexual orientation, disability, religion, culture or language.
• Applicants should have a particular business and/or revenue and/or transformation project they are planning to work on over the next 12-24 months (or early in the stages of an existing project) targeting one or more of the following focal areas:
  • New revenue opportunities: Innovative solutions to revenue challenges that media companies face – opening up new revenue streams to make media organizations more sustainable and independent.
  • Digital native products: New approaches to collecting news and information, and to reporting, storytelling and distribution, that embrace the possibilities of technology and contribute to the viability of news operations.
  • Reaching communities in rural/underserved areas: Innovative approaches to reach and empower people generally underserved by existing news media.
  • Innovation in distribution: Media technology and tools that help to distribute local and relevant news in a cost-effective and sustainable way.
  • Transition to digital: Finding and implementing solutions, products or processes that assist legacy media to transform their businesses.
• Applicants must be willing to commit sufficient time to work with coaches/mentors and carry out assigned tasks.

For more information, visit MDIF.