2023 Call for proposals for the Indigenous Community Media Fund

Deadline: February 15, 2023

Eligible countries: All countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa; Canada and the United States; India, Philippines, Indonesia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Malaysia are eligible to apply.

Amount of funding: Indigenous community radio stations and other community media outlets and groups may apply for a grant of up to $6,000. Radio network proposals presented by three or more Indigenous radio stations can apply for funding up to $12,000.

Duration of projects: Proposed projects must be completed within a period of 6 to 10 months.

The Indigenous Community Media Fund at Cultural Survival provides opportunities for Indigenous community radio stations and media outlets to strengthen their broadcast infrastructure and systems while providing training opportunities to their community journalists through a participatory and dynamic grants program. The initiative enhances community efforts to establish and ensure sustainability of Indigenous community-controlled media. Past projects that were funded included improvements to internal organization infrastructure, capacity building, systematization of radio and other community media management experiences, advocacy in national legislation and policies to advocate for access to Indigenous community media, and other innovative strategies that increase political and community impact. We highly value the participation and inclusion of women, other genders, and youth as a funding priority for the projects.

Who is eligible to apply for this call?

  1. Indigenous community radio stations
  2. Indigenous community radio networks
  3. Networks or groups of Indigenous communicators
  4. Networks or groups of Indigenous women communicators
  5. Groups of Indigenous muralists and photographers
  6. Other media outlets managed by Indigenous Peoples, including newspapers, community television, audiovisual and multimedia production, intranet, and community internet.

How to apply: 

Applicant groups or media outlets should send their narrative proposal and budget (in English, Spanish, French, or Portuguese) in the formats provided by Cultural Survival to radio@culturalsurvival.org. Additionally, you can send or attach your radio productions of 5 minutes maximum or portfolio of your artistic work relevant to the project submitted. For the 2023 call, we are prioritizing Indigenous communication projects that include the following strategies and activities:

  1. Legal processes to access radio frequencies for Indigenous community stations.
  2. Institutional development for media outlets, including strategic planning in financial, organizational, legal, and content areas; development of a board of directors; development of environmental and gender policies; design and implementation of security protocols for personnel; and evaluation and monitoring systems.
  3. Capacity building in audiovisual, writing, and radio skills for Indigenous women, other genders, and youth, and recording, editing, production, community investigative journalism, coverage in emergency situations, maintenance, repair, and assembly of radio equipment.
  4. Capacity building in new communication technologies (streaming, servers, web pages, online radio, digital press, community TV, mobile applications, and software programs).
  5. Development of audiovisual, written, and radio content on topics related to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and other international conventions on Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change; decolonized histories of Indigenous Peoples; strengthening of Indigenous identities; protection of lands, territories, and natural resources; news development; rights of Indigenous women and issues on gender, cultural, and ancestral heritage; national legislation impacting the rights of Indigenous Peoples; public debates; literacy in native languages, and Free, Prior and Informed Consent.
  6. Strengthening of Indigenous community organization with an inclusive approach (i.e., women, youth, and other genders) to demand the right to Indigenous community communication.
  7. Intranet network infrastructures or broadband Internet installation in the stations.
  8. Community murals or audiovisual and photography projects focused on Indigenous Peoples’ rights, women’s and youth rights, climate change, culture, and Indigenous languages.

Projects will be selected based on their degree of community support, creativity, self-sustainability, vision, and work in relation to Indigenous rights and cultures. Preference will be given to groups or media outlets that broadcast in Indigenous languages and have the participation of diverse sectors, especially Indigenous women.

Forms to download to apply:

English

2023 Call Guidelines PDF
Application proposal form Word
Budget form Excel GB

Author: Ruth Kasham

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