Deadline: 31-May-22
Applications are now open for the Nigeria Media Innovation Program (NAMIP) to support the editorial independence of media organisations by strengthening their financial sustainability.
NAMIP is a 3-year initiative working to increase capacity, generate sustainable and diverse revenue streams, and build audiences of independent media in Nigeria, particularly those reaching underserved communities.
The Innovation Challenge is seeking applications from media organizations that are building innovative news and information products that:
Explore opportunities to reach and connect with broader audiences through digital platforms and technologies; or
Develop new revenue generation opportunities or sustainable business models?
Focus Areas
- Digital native products: New approaches to collecting news and information, and to reporting, storytelling, and distribution, that embrace the possibilities of technology.
- Reaching rural communities: Innovative approaches to reach that empower people outside of major urban areas and those generally underserved by existing news media.
- Engaging people in official languages that are underserved: Attempts to engage and distribute content to communities in vernacular languages that are underserved.
- Technology innovation for distribution: New media technology that distributes local news in a cost-effective and sustainable way.
- New Revenue opportunities: Innovative solutions to revenue challenges that media companies face – how can they open up new revenue streams to make media organizations more sustainable and independent.
- Transition to digital: Finding and implementing solutions, products, or processes that assist legacy media to transform their businesses.
Benefits
- Winners will be awarded up to $50,000 for their project and join NAMIP’s three-year innovation and capacity-building program.
- Successful applicants will benefit from up to $50,000 for their project and have access to a range of capacity-building activities, including mentorship and training, as well as joining NAMIP’s supportive community of like-minded organizations.
Eligibility Criteria
- You could be an existing independent media company, a non-profit, or a new venture that is just kicking off.
- They are looking for mission-driven companies and organizations passionate about trying new approaches to local news and information.
- They encourage applicants who don’t have traditional journalism and media backgrounds, particularly from the areas of technology, design, and business.
For more information, visit https://www.mdif.org/our-work/initiatives/namip/