An international coalition of media and organizations has launched a fundraising campaign that has already raised more than €4.8 million for the media. The coalition was initiated by the British-Ukrainian media consulting company Jnomics Media, the media and think tank The Fix, the Ukrainian Media Development Foundation, and the Belgian publication Are We Europe. The Kyiv Independent helped with the information support of the crowdfunding.
To date, crowdfunding has raised more than €3 million to support Ukrainian media via GoFundMe and direct donations (this amount does not include more than €1.8 million, raised by The Kyiv Independent).
Direct media financing
Through crowdfunding campaigns, including on GoFundMe, as well as donations, the coalition raised more than €2.2 million over six months for 13 national media outlets, covering approximately 60% of their needs during this period. Ukrainian Pravda, NV, Liga, Ukraіner, hromadske, Detector Media, Bihus.info, Slidstvo.Info, Zaborona, Dzerkalo Tyzhnya, The Village Ukraine, Forbes and Babel have already received assistance.
Thanks to the help of grant managers and consultants from Jnomics Media and The Fix, the Ukrainian media raised about one million euros in donor support. The coalition team undertook the search for grants, negotiations with donors, preparation of documents, and management.
Body armor and other equipment
Protective equipment is one of the important needs of journalists during the war. The coalition brought €440,000 worth of protective equipment to Ukraine. Since the beginning of the war, it has been distributed among Ukrainian journalists.
Regional media
In addition, more than €470,000 in direct financial support was provided to 60 regional and local media, 6 national media, and 2 investigative bureaus. Mostly these are small amounts for operating costs, such as for gasoline, equipment, IT services.
Technological support
Cybersecurity and uninterrupted technical support are another need during a war. Coalition members have made sure that global technology companies and specialists provide technical support to Ukrainian media outlets free of charge. Among the main areas — to help migrate to foreign servers, store data and set up remote work.
Relocation and chatbot for all urgent needs
For those journalists who would like to move to a safer place in the EU, the coalition provides funds for relocation and accommodation. And for those who stayed in Ukraine, they created a chatbot UA Media Support Center and a hotline supported by Twilio.org and Corezoid. Here you can find housing, rent equipment, find grants and career opportunities, as well as learn how to work during the war.
Help with monetization
After Russiaʼs full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian advertising market almost came to a halt, and most media relied on advertising as the main source of monetization. In addition to direct financial assistance for the media, the coalition finds international commercial partners for joint projects. That is why the international initiative Infopoint agency was launched to ensure the financial stability of Ukrainian digital media and independent Belarusians working in exile.
Who joined the help
The initiative to help the Ukrainian media has received incredible support from individuals, publishers, and donors. Here is a list of organizations that have provided various forms of support.
In addition to the organizations, more than 16,000 people joined the crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe, and the INSEAD community and London Business School provided volunteers. And the Institute of Mass Media and Internews helped deliver the equipment to Ukraine and distribute it.
The campaign to help the Ukrainian media continues. If you want to support the work of journalists during the war, join the link.