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Core Contribution to the Interna-tional Fund for Public Interest Me-dia (IFPIM)


Public interest media in low- and middle-income countries face existential threats, impact-ing sustainable development and peace. IFPIM is an organization backing the resilience and independence of public interest media. Through SDC’s contribution to IFPIM, Swit-zerland promotes democracy by combating dis- and misinformation and ensuring media freedom and access to reliable information.

Country/region Topic Period Budget
Global
Governance
Media & freedom of information
01.01.2025 - 31.12.2028
 CHF  2’000’000
The project in brief
Background Public interest media, particularly in low- and middle-income countries face challenges like limited funding, government in-terference, media concentration, and inadequate infrastructure. Restrictive laws, cen-sorship, and government control reduce independent voices and spread mis- and dis-information. These undermine media credibility and public trust, leading to a misinformed population, reduction of independent voices, suppression of criticism, loss of pluralism, a more polarized society, more extremism and terrorism. SDC’s contribu-tion to IFPIM was a key part of Switzerland’s commitments at the second Summit for Democracy in 2023, presented by the President Berset.
Objectives
  1. More and better-informed people, in-cluding voters
  2. Greater accountability of those in power, including political, economic and social actors
Target groups Independent media outlets in low- and mid-dle-income countries that are working in the public interest and are in danger of extinc-tion or capture.
Medium-term outcomes

Outcome 1: Public interest media under fi-nancial pressure are sustained

Outcome 2: Public interest media improve their economic resilience, by evolving their business strategies and leveraging technol-ogies

Outcome 3: Public interest media better serve society, by growing their audience’s reach and/or engagement

Outcome 4: Innovations that unlock new, long-term sources of funding for public in-terest media are launched and developed
Results

Expected results:  

To Outcome 1: IFPIM provides grants to sustain media facing financial extinction or capture

To Outcome 2: IFPIM provides grants to enable media to experiment with and trans-form new models to fund, create and dis-tribute journalism

To Outcome 3: IFPIM provides facilitation of capacity strengthening and technical support for media

To Outcome 4: IFPIM provides financial and advisory support to test and develop systemic financing solutions to help solve market failures


Results from previous phases:  

The following results should be considered with the understanding that IFPIM's primary objective in the first phase was to establish a new international organization:

IFPIM has made significant strides in advancing its mission across the world since its start in 2022. It has mobilized approximately USD 52 million to support public in-terest media in low- and middle-income countries. It expanded the global coalition supporting its work, and increased its total investment in news publishers in its focus countries to over USD 8 million across 31 organizations. After the approval of IFPIM’s Statutes and the appointment of its Board, IFPIM transformed into a new multilateral entity with HQ in Paris as a quasi-interna-tional organization.
Directorate/federal office responsible SDC
Project partners Contract partner
Other International Organization
  • Other OI

Implementing partner
IFPIM

Coordination with other projects and actors Fondation Hirondelle (SDC partner); DAC GovNet and its mem-bers; Swiss offices abroad incl. Swiss Em-bassy in Paris; HQ SDC’s geographical units, PHRD, BAKOM.
Budget Current phase Swiss budget CHF    2’000’000 Swiss disbursement to date CHF    0 Total project since first phase Swiss budget CHF   2’499’998 Budget inclusive project partner CHF   7’500’000
Project phases

Phase 2 01.01.2025 - 31.12.2028   (Active)

Phase 1 01.01.2022 - 31.12.2024   (Current phase)
  • Sector according to the OECD Developement Assistance Commitiee categorisation GOVERNMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY
    Sub-Sector according to the OECD Developement Assistance Commitiee categorisation
    Media and free flow of information
    Cross-cutting topics Human rights
    The project supports partner organisation improvements as a priority
    Aid Type Core contribution
    Mandate without fiduciary fund
    Project number

    7F10901

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Last update 03.01.2021