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Core Media Fund

A new initiative by MDF is designed to provide sustainable, long-term financial support to independent media in Ukraine

Oct 23, 2024

01:30 PM

After nearly three years of war, Ukrainian media remain heavily reliant on donor funding, which jeopardizes their resilience and independence. Recognizing the need for a new dialogue between the donor community, publishers, and the audience, the Media Development Foundation is launching the Core Media Fund (CMF) — a new initiative to initiate this crucial conversation.

Eugene Zaslavskyi

Executive Director at MDF

Ukrainian independent media are facing an acute lack of institutional support, which undermines their resilience and development. We need to rethink the approach to media funding in Ukraine to ensure long-term journalistic independence. The Core Media Fund aims to become a platform for this rethinking and to drive changes in the media sector.

The concept behind CMF is not only to handle the collection and distribution of funds but also to serve as an advocacy platform that highlights the challenges of media financing in Ukraine and works to address them. CMF's mission is to strengthen Ukraine’s media ecosystem and foster the growth of independent media.

Andrey Boborykin

Executive Director at Ukrainska Pravda

Independent journalism, and Ukrainian media in particular, are in dire need of saving. The challenges we face are unprecedented, and existing funding mechanisms alone are not enough. The Core Media Fund offers a crucial alternative and addition to current support structures. This initiative comes at a critical time, providing a lifeline that can help both national and local independent news publications in Ukraine not just survive, but evolve and thrive. It's a vital step towards ensuring the longevity and resilience of our media ecosystem.

On the eve of the opening of the Fund, the Media Development Foundation analyzed the financing needs of both national and regional independent media. According to a new study "The Donor Dilemma. Rethinking Support Models for Ukrainian Media's Future", in the upcoming year, could be pivotal for many outlets. Reduced donor funding, staffing crises, and the lack of long-term planning threaten the very existence of numerous media organizations.

Read the research