The Global Fact Check Fund, which is run by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the Poynter Institute, has announced its first round of grants to organizations working to address misinformation.

As part of IFCN’s BUILD phase, which aims to help fact-checking organizations scale or upgrade their online presence, 35 organizations serving 45 countries were awarded $25,000 each for efforts to modernize websites, hire staff, and train people to identify misinformation, as well as other initiatives. The fund, which is supported by a $13.2 million grant from Google and YouTube, aims to strengthen and develop the operational, production, and engagement capacities of local and regional media organizations to increase the quality, volume, frequency, scale, and impact of fact-checking abilities and activities.

From the initial grant, $12 million will be disbursed to fact checkers and the remainder will support the grantmaking and monitoring processes. Over the course of three years and eight phases, the fund will help eligible organizations increase the level of professionalism in fact checking associated with media outlets, and assist citizens in assessing what they see in mass media and social media.

“Misinformation is on the march in many parts of the world. This important funding will enable fact-checking organizations to become better at their work, stronger in their capabilities, and wider in their reach,” said IFCN director Angie Drobnic Holan. “That will pay dividends for the citizens of their countries by helping to support free and accurate expression and providing tools to critically assess the information they consume.” 

For a complete list of recipients, see the International Fact-Checking Network website.

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