GFMD MediaDev Fundraising Guide

"...how to apply for funding to support media development and journalism programmes..."

Developed by the Global Forum for Media Development (GMFD), this guide is designed to help anyone seeking funding for media development (MediaDev) or journalism support projects. It provides insight into a variety of application models and takes the reader through the project design process, with the ultimate aim to support organisations and individuals to submit better and more successful funding proposals. The guide is intended for organisations making their first applications, but can also provide a refresher for more experienced fundraisers.

The guide, which is updated on a regular basis, includes 11 modules that are meant to be read sequentially:

1. Preparation and planning - focuses on the importance of being prepared for the fundraising process, which includes having a good company profile, company policies, and profiles of past performance, as well as preparing generic content for proposals and identifying a pool of experts.
2. Competitive advantages - looks at how to ensure that an organisation stands out from the crowd by having a recognisable identity, mission, and scope of work, such as media literacy, legal reform, or production training in a certain country or region.
3. Donor engagement - explores the types of MediaDev donor organisations that exist and their focus areas, and offers guidelines on how to approach and engage with them.
4. Identifying opportunities - describes where to find funding opportunities and how to know whether to apply or not.
5. Types of application - examines the different processes that exist in the MediaDev community and the paperwork organisations will be asked to complete. It offers an example of the European Union grant application process.
6. Application process - presents a step-by-step guide for designing a project and submitting a funding application. An organisation's ability to follow these steps will depend on the resources at its disposal and on its organisational culture.
7. Building partnerships - outlines reasons why donors encourage a partnership approach, the types of relationships within different partnerships, what makes a successful partnership, and how to work in a partnership.
8. Writing a proposal - offers guidelines on how to make a proposal stand out above the rest by, for example, incorporating case studies, using clear and concise language, and paying attention to the presentation, design, and layout.
9. Common templates - discusses templates commonly used by donors and provides some insight into how they should be completed (note: access to this section is for GMFD members only).
10. Project staffing - emphasises the importance of having the right staff and consultants, as donors increasingly want to see staffing plans and the curriculum vitae (CVs) of key personnel presented in funding proposals. This advice is based on the premise that a project is only as good as the people working on it.
11. Budgeting - provides insight into common budget models used by donors and the challenges of ensuring that projects are both financially viable and offer good value for money.

The guide's annex includes: a fundraising lexicon for terms relevant to applying for media development funding and journalism support; a vetted list of MediaDev fundraising experts with short bios and contact info; and links to three GMFD webinars on MediaDev fundraising (see one example, below).