Media funding guidelines

Criteria for assessing projects

Within the OSISA media programme’s limited resources, support will be provided to initiatives that embrace one of more of the ‘Guiding Principles’ above, and which:

• Meet a demonstrable need that is compatible with one or more of the above 'Guiding Principles'

• Make a creative use of mass media – in particular radio and print – to meet such a need

• Are part of a broader strategy aimed at achieving one or more of the above 'Guiding principles'

• Are legally constituted and have transparent and / or democratic governance structures

• Promote the active involvement of women, young people and/or other marginalised members of society.

In so doing, the OSISA media programme seeks to work closely with regional and national organisations that are themselves directed by one or more of the above ‘Guiding Principles’, and / or which represent marginalised people - in particular women and young people - seeking to exercise their right to communicate.

Nonetheless, OSISA also will work independently of these organisations with individual projects that endeavour to break new ground in relation to the achievement of the above 'Guiding Principles'.

All initiatives receiving support from the OSISA media programme should seek to achieve tangible results within a given time frame, and that the achievement of these results will be the basis for evaluations of the initiative and the support it receives from the OSISA media programme. The nature and scope of such evaluations will be agreed to by OSISA and the partner organisation receiving the support.

Key areas of support

Support provided by the OSISA media programme will focus on the following areas:

1) Radio and print

Support provided by the OSISA media programme will target radio and print media initiatives that:

• Provide a voice to people who do not otherwise have easy access to, and / or who are marginalised by existing media, in particular women and young people.

• Are controlled by / accountable to those they seek to serve

• Focus on issues related to promoting more transparent, democratic and just societies

• Form part of a broader strategy to promote one or more of the OSISA media programme’s ‘Guiding Principles’

• And thereby enhance the public watchdog role of mass media.

By this we have in mind initiatives that:

• Serve a community (geographical and / or community of interest) that is poorly served / marginalised by existing media

• Provide a voice to people who do not otherwise have easy access to, and / or who are marginalised by existing media, in particular women and young people.

• Encourage people to communicate in languages of their choice

In this regard, the OSISA media programme prioritises support for:

• Advocacy

• Research and development

• The production of media “content” (programmes, articles etc)

• Training and capacity building

2) Advocacy and support organisations

The OSISA media programme will also channel its support into the work of national and regional bodies that:

• Advocate around issues related to the right to communicate

• Support communities that are poorly served by existing media to use mass media to meet their communication and other development needs

• Promote the long-term sustainability of non-governmental media

• Seek to hold those in authority and power accountable to the people they are supposed to serve

By this we have in mind initiatives of regional and national organisations that:

• Seek to challenge laws, policies and other barriers that inhibit people’s right to communicate

• Enable people from poor and otherwise marginalised communities to use mass media to meet their communication and other development needs, and to communicate these needs to those in authority and power

• Provide material and technical support to non-governmental media

• Seek to hold those in authority and power - including the mainstream media itself - accountable to those they serve

• Promote professionalism and ethical standards among mainstream media workers

In this regard, the OSISA media programme prioritises support for:

• Advocacy

• Research and development

• Training and capacity building

• The provision of financial and technical support to non-governmental media

• Media monitoring initiatives

3) Experiments and emergencies

The OSISA media programme recognises the need to explore new areas and methods related to the achievement of its ‘Goals’, and to the implementation of its ‘Guiding Principles’. Therefore a portion of the OSISA media programme’s resources will be targeted at initiatives that seek to explore new ground vis-� -vis the use of media for the development of more transparent, democratic and just societies.

Furthermore, a portion of the OSISA media programme’s support also will be applied to media initiatives that seek to address emergency situations in which moves towards developing more transparent, democratic and just societies have been put in jeopardy.

Support for radio and print initiatives, as well as for advocacy and support organisations outlined above will form the core of the OSISA media programme, and around 70 per cent of the programme's funds will be spent in these areas. Meanwhile, an estimated 20 per cent of the OSISA media programme's support will be targeted at experimental media projects, while the remaining 10 per cent will be used for the support of emergency initiatives envisaged above.

How to apply

Organisations and initiatives seeking support from the OSISA media programme should send an initial letter of inquiry – which should be no more than two pages long - to the OSISA media programme officer. The letter should explain how the project for which support is being sought relates to the mission, strategies and guidelines of OSISA. The letter should also include the following:

• A brief summary of the project

• An outline of the needs the project seeks to meet, and how these needs have been identified

• A list of the project’s goals and objectives

• A brief description of the activities to be carried out during the project, and the methods to be used

• A list of results (“outputs”) the project seeks to achieve, and how these results will be identified (“indicators of success”)

• A budget summarising the resources needed to implement the project, and which of these resources OSISA will be asked to provide.

OSISA media programme staff then will review the inquiry and discuss the project with the applicant if necessary.

Based on the information gathered from these initial inquiries, projects that appear to be in line with OSISA’s funding guidelines then will be asked to submit a full proposal, which should contain more detailed information about the following:

• The problems / needs the project seeks to address

• How these problems / needs have been identified

• The context of the project / the environment in which it will take place

• The organisation (s) that will implement and / or take part in the project

• The impact the project should have, and how this impact will be measured

• The project’s aims and objectives

• The activities that will be carried out to meet these aims and objectives

• How the project will be implemented

• The cost of implementing the project from start to finish (This should include the cost of evaluating the impact of the project)

• Where you intend the money and other resources needed to implement the project to come from

• How the project will continue to have an impact after OSISA’s support for the project comes to an end

• A time frame for implementing the project from start to finish

• The problems the project is likely to face, and how these problems will be overcome

• The strengths and weaknesses of the organisation(s) that will implement the project, and how these weaknesses can be overcome

The following additional information should accompany a full project proposal:

• A copy of the constitution or governing rules of the organisation(s) responsible for implementing the project

• A description of the implementing organisation’s goals and objectives

• A list of the organisation’s board members, executives, essential programme staff, as well as its members

• The organisation's most recent annual report (to include audited financial statements)

• The most recent evaluation of the organisation and its work (if available)

• Names and contact details of other donors who have been asked to support / are supporting the project in particular, and the organisation in general.

• An explanation as to how the organisation is addressing issues of sustainability

Application documents should be sent to OSISA’s office in Johannesburg. Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Although preliminary assessment and interaction regarding a proposal is the responsibility of the Programme Officer, the overall decision lies with the OSISA Board.

For further information contact:

The Media Programme Officer

Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa

P O Box 678, Wits 2050

Johannesburg, South Africa.

Telephone: + 27 (11) 403 3414/5/6

Fax: +27 (11) 403 2708

Email: media@osisa.org