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Journalism and Media Funding in Europe

Conducted by Philea, this report investigates a striking paradox: while Philea’s own research identifies access to reliable, pluralistic information as a critical factor in combating democratic backsliding, independent journalism ranks as the topic Philea’s members are least interested in.

The findings draw on responses from 36 philanthropic organizations across 12 European countries, with a total annual grantmaking expenditure of just over €2 billion—yet only 3.2% of that funding goes toward journalism and media. Though the majority of respondents ranked media and journalism among their top three areas of focus, the other two priorities named were democracy and environment/climate sustainability.

The results point to four key findings:

  1. Funding for journalism and media is relatively limited, but highly diverse.
    • Compared to a 2022 Philea study on arts and culture funding that showed 25% of annual budgets were spent in this area, the media organization allocated just 6% towards media and journalism.
    • Most grants were for a duration of 2-3 years, with a total grant amount between €100-500k.
    • One third of surveyed organizations don’t use any intermediary organizations in their grantmaking, giving 100% of funds directly to grantees.
  2. Support is spread widely across different types of actors, content and geographies.
    • Non-profit and investigative journalism outlets receive a majority of the support.
    • Funders supporting digital and multimedia reporting tend to prioritize digital infrastructure projects and innovations in practice.
    • The most frequently supported countries among survey respondents are Hungary, Germany, Italy, Poland and Belgium.
  3. Protecting democracy and countering misinformation are motivations for funding.
    • The overwhelming majority of funders (85%) cited “protecting journalism as an important pillar of democracy” as their motivation for supporting media & journalism—while “raising awareness around a specific issue” ranked lowest, at 41%.
    • More than half of respondents (52%) described media and journalism funding as “one of several major areas” of their giving.
  4. The sector is undergoing major changes, creating new challenges for funders and grantees.
    • Funders identified three major changes reshaping the sector that are driving their positions: the rise of digital platforms and the role of social media in news dissemination, the economic sustainability of journalism, and growing concerns around mis/disinformation. Reflecting these pressures, respondents ranked supporting viable journalism business models as their primary concern.
    • Evidence suggests that funding for journalism and media is on an upward trajectory: more than half of respondents (52%) reported increased budgets over the past year, while 53% expect their budgets to stay the same in the year ahead.

Use This Resource To:

  1. Understand the similarities that exist in the global journalism ecosystem, and identify key patterns in infrastructure and business sustainability.
  2. Consider ways funders can advocate for the importance of independent journalism and media in a coordinated way across geographies.
  3. Learn why funders in other contexts are changing their budgets and grantmaking strategies in order to meet the challenge of supporting this work in a non-US centric context.

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Source: Philea

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