To support fact-checking initiatives worldwide and reduce the harm of misinformation, the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the nonprofit Poynter Institute, a global leader in journalistic excellence, administers the Global Fact Fund, funded by Google and YouTube.
The mission of the Fund is to strengthen the operational and engagement capacities of local and regional media organizations to increase the impact of fact-checking journalism. The fund supports verified signatories of the IFCN Code of Principles fact-checking organizations, as well as non-signatory, partnering organizations endorsed by IFCN signatories.
Through its grant application and monitoring and evaluation requirements, the grant fund seeks to improve the capacity of fact-checkers to seek competitive grants across a changing media landscape for the long term.
This three-year program started in 2023 with three rounds of funding for the year, and those rounds will be repeated in 2024 and 2025. In all, nine rounds of grants will be disbursed over the three years of the program. The Fund is administered by the IFCN staff with the guidance of a steering committee made up of experts in the fact-checking field and fact-checking leaders from around the world.
Global Fact Check Fund Grant Categories
BUILD
The BUILD category offers $25,000 grants. It is appropriate for both smaller fact-checking organizations, and for larger organizations that seek day-to-day funding support without proposing a new initiative. The support for day-to-day funding is intended to support a plan for the grantee to increase future capacity.
A smaller fact-checking organization that applies for BUILD might be between 1 and 5 years old. The organization is likely not part of a formal Third-Party Fact-Checking Program from a tech platform such as Meta or TikTok. A larger fact-checking organization that applies for BUILD might be older than five years old, and it might or might not be part of a Third-Party Fact-Checking Program.
Organizations that apply for the BUILD tier fit the following criteria:
They are seeking general support for day-to-day operations so as to develop capacity in the future.
They are not proposing a specific new project or program.
They seek a grant with a low level of monitoring and evaluation requirements.
Some BUILD grantees have applied for grants for the following purposes:
Purchasing hardware or software necessary for continuation of operations
Supporting the creation of a new position
Giving new professional development opportunities to existing staff
Improving security and resilience against hacking and other threats
GROW
The GROW category offers $50,000 grants and is open only to IFCN signatory organizations with the status of “Active” or “In Renewal” at the time of the application. It is appropriate for small to large fact-checking organizations that are publishing regularly, sustainable in their day-to-day operations, and would like to pursue a new initiative or program with a strong commitment to monitoring and evaluating programmatic accomplishments.
Some GROW grantees have applied for grants for the following purposes:
Increasing staffing
Expanding or creating programs designed to boost content visibility
Staff training
Launching fundraising initiatives
Diversifying revenue streams
Expanding data analytic tools
Growing partnerships and collaborations to leverage and expand resources
ENGAGE
The ENGAGE category offers grants of $100,000 and is open only to IFCN signatory organizations with the status of “Active” or “In Renewal” at the time of the application. It is appropriate for fact-checking organizations of any size that publish regularly, are sustainable in their day-to-day operations, and want to develop revenue streams outside of third-party fact-checking programs. The organization is ready to put forward a specific project or major expansion with a robust monitoring and evaluation plan. That plan will allow it to share learnings with the broader fact-checking community so that its program might be replicated by other signatories.
Some ENGAGE grantees have applied for grants for the following purposes:
Staff increases to expand or create programs designed to boost content visibility
Advanced staff training
Cross-pollination across technology channels
Exploration of new target markets using audience research, metrics, and analytics
Digital media expansions
Community engagement projects
Innovation and experimentation in developing tools for fact-checking
