The Journalism Funders Forum invites you to its first funders-only online ‘breakfast’ on 9 May from 09:00-10:00 CEST.

Funding independent public-interest journalism is critical to healthy democracy, holding those in power accountable and providing reliable information to the public. When it comes to supporting independent public-interest journalism, there are two main options: donating or investing.

Lukas Harlan, Schoepflin Stiftung and Lot Carlier, Vereniging Veronica, will present to the breakfast different ways of funding independent public interest journalism in Europe.

Lukas will kick off the session sharing Schöpflin Foundation’s approach on fostering democracy, and independent media as a basic pillar of it. He will expand upon the foundation’s funding practices and approach of institutional funding, and its claim to enable innovation while helping organisations to position themselves sustainably in the market.

Lot will present how Vereniging Veronika initiates and invests in innovative models, people and instruments to build a vibrant media sector and contribute to a free, thriving and diverse society. This is carried out via the use of various financing options: from grants to (convertible) loans to equity deals.

Afterwards the floor will open to all participants for an informal discussion on funding strategies.

This gathering will be the first in a series of quarterly online sessions hosted by JFF. All sessions are held on Teams and are camera optional.