Funding Journalism: A Guide to Philanthropic Support for Canadian Media

Media organizations in Canada are struggling with challenges that undermine their ability to produce and distribute public interest journalism. The disruption of traditional revenue sources, declining public trust in media, and the rise of misinformation require new tools for journalism organizations to move forward.

Charitable foundations are increasingly recognizing the democratic value of quality independent journalism, and the link between journalism and the social, economic and environmental issues they care about. Philanthropic support for journalism can create many opportunities for newsrooms. But, for the relationship between philanthropy and journalism to flourish, the two sectors need a shared understanding of their respective fields.

Funding Journalism: A Guide to Philanthropic Support for Canadian Media provides practical tools for Canadian media interested in exploring philanthropy as a revenue source. It is tailored to journalists and leaders at nonprofit and for-profit media organizations, and others with an interest in journalism.

Readers will find practical guidance on how to navigate the philanthropic sector, identify the right donors, frame requests for money, engage in conversations about editorial independence, and much more. 

This guide is part of Inspirit Foundation’s ongoing effort to bridge the information gap between philanthropy and journalism in Canada. It was created in collaboration with the Local News Research project at Toronto Metropolitan University and the Canadian Association of Journalists. 

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