Journalism Funders Forum 2025: Funding Journalism in a Shifting Landscape
The Journalism Funders Forum will host its yearly in-person gathering for 2025 on 7-8 April in Florence, Italy to explore “Funding Journalism in a Shifting Landscape”.
Last year’s Journalism Funders Forum gathering in Amsterdam illustrated the vital role of independent journalism in advancing democracy, climate action and equality. To build on this momentum, this year’s in-person gathering in Florence will take place over two days. With the support of Assifero, the first day, held in Italian, will bring together Italian foundations to examine the state of Italian journalism, showcase its value and explore pathways for greater philanthropic engagement. The second day, held in English, will discuss recent developments that threaten independent journalism’s survival and will create space to discuss how to navigate them and collaborate to find ways to preserve the landscape.
The pause on U.S. foreign aid, while later rescinded, is the writing on the wall for what is to come and has already unsettled the sector. The growing financial dependency on Big Tech is another concern, with companies like Meta cutting fact-checking programmes, depriving many non-profit newsrooms of crucial revenue. Repressive legislation, such as foreign agent laws in Central and Eastern Europe, is being used to intimidate independent outlets and deter international funding. At the same time, the philanthropic landscape is shifting, with some foundations sunsetting their journalism programmes, leaving behind a gap that no single funder can fill.
This year, the Journalism Funders Forum is offering additional opportunities for connection, with networking dinners each evening and organised travel to Perugia on 9 April for those attending the International Journalism Festival.
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