Transforming Media Development - Recommendations for effecting funding and collaboration

?? Sign up for Bottom Line - your guide to MediaDev and journalism fundraising. Every month, we bring you news from the world of media funding, profiles of media donors, and expert insight from GFMD’s MediaDev Fundraising Guide. Sign up to join our growing community?here.

Check out the?full version of the newsletter?here.

Over the past 5 years, members of GFMD have contributed valuable insights and knowledge about the fundraising process as seen through the eyes of the implementing organisations. These insights are now part of a new report titled "Transforming Media Development" which supports advocacy efforts to enhance funding and collaboration in the media support sector.

Among the key messages to convey, our members highlight these best practice recommendations for donors to improve the funding process:

?? Offer core or institutional support to independent media outlets, recognising that, without core funding, many of these actors will cease to exist and the diversity of voices will be diminished.

???Take steps to improve dialogue with media development partners and engage in the co-creation of projects.

?? Conduct or commission regular, structured assessments of media landscapes and use the findings to shape funding programmes.

?? Invest in country-based audience research which can give proper insight into the themes and formats which are likely to resonate with different target groups.

?? Simplify procedures and reduce lead-times for applications.

?? Harmonise procedures across the donor community, thereby enabling joint reporting and collaborative monitoring and evaluation.

???Give leadership roles to media support organisations from the Global South, acknowledging their in-depth knowledge of local media landscapes and their credibility among local actors.

You can find a summary of the report in this?article?or go straight to the report.??

If you would like to contribute to the advocacy and evidence-building processes by being featured in a case study or by sharing your experiences, please contact Anne Marie Hammer by email.

???Check out the?full version of the newsletter here and take a look at our newly launched Romanian Fundraising Guide, what we're reading this month?about journalism, philanthropy, pageviews and tips on measuring impact for investigative journalism and much more.