Walkley Foundation’s Meta Australian News Fund (Round 3)

This year there will be an additional focus on stories or projects that prioritise: video first, women in sport, First Nations languages and languages other than English.

Streams

• The year 2 funding program is being offered in two streams:
  • The Digital Innovation Fund (“DI Program”) will allocate up to $2.5 million by awarding news organisations funding of up to $250,000 to fund digital and innovative newsroom projects that support the sustainability of the business.
  • The Public Interest Journalism Fund (“PIJ Program”) will allocate up to $2.5 million by awarding funding of up to $120,000 to news organisations or individuals to create public interest journalism that encourages media diversity.

Eligible Projects

• In 2023, preference will be given to projects which:
  • Serve underrepresented audiences including but not limited to: LGBTQIA+, First Nations Peoples, and First Nation’s languages, along with women in sport stories, regional and rural, youth and youth culture along with content that supports communities before, during and after natural disasters.
  • Are video-only publications.

Eligibility Criteria

• The eligibility criteria apply to both the PIJ Fund and the DI Fund. To apply for funding, an applicant must:
  • Be an Australian-based media organisation with its primary business being the creation of news or informative content;
  • For the PIJ Fund only, entrants may also be independent journalist(s) working primarily in Australia; journalists must be either Australian citizens or permanent residents.
  • Have demonstrated business operations for a minimum of one year prior to applying to the Program (based on objective measures such as corporate filings and business name registrations);
  • Be able to contribute to a Meta case study and other marketing initiatives with Meta;
  • Have a minimum of two full-time journalism staff (or the equivalent) unless you are applying as an individual journalist.
  • Publish news content regularly through a digital channel such as a website, newsletter or social platform; and
  • Not have a content licensing agreement in place with Meta for Facebook News or video. For the avoidance of doubt, applicants that have other funding arrangements in place with Meta, or that have been provided funding through an affiliation or industry body distributing on behalf of Meta are eligible.
  • Trade and contract publishing titles are not eligible to apply.

Terms & Conditions

• These terms apply to both the PIJ Fund and the DI Fund.
  • Full-time employee staffing costs will not be funded in either program. For the PIJ fund only, part-time, casual and contract staffing costs, as well as the extension of hours of current part-time staff are eligible for funding.
  • Consultants may be funded for projects in both the PIJ and the DI Programs.
  • Preference will be given to applicants that:
    • serve underrepresented audiences, including but not limited to LGBTQI+, Indigenous, regional or rural, culturally or gender diverse audiences, diverse languages, and economically disadvantaged;
    • are digital- only publications;
    • are journalists working with a disability;
    • have not previously received funding from Meta;
    • include international and indigenous languages in news bulletins;
    • focus on women in sport and/or women publishing on sport.

For more information, visit The Walkley Foundation.