The Fund

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Internews launched a small-grant Rapid Response Fund, recognizing that trustworthy and accurate information can help save lives.

The Fund helped Internews’ local media partners—such as community radio stations and online news outlets—access emergency funding to continue operating in dire economic conditions.

With support from Luminate and other donors who recognized the immense need, we made more than 180 grants to applicants in more than 40 countries. We’ve seen the real impact and continued need for support of local-language, community-based information providers.

Please note the Rapid Response Fund is currently closed to new applicants.

Meet the Grantees

Featured Grantees

Advance Youth Radio, South Sudan Advance Youth Radio uses media to champion youth empowerment and improve employment opportunities. They will use their funding to promote social distancing through interactive radio programming and to update the public with critical information about COVID-19 through public service announcements and live talk shows. They also plan to distribute 100 free solar powered radios to youth and vulnerable communities.

AyiboPost, Haiti Ayibopost is a non-profit Haitian online-based media specialized in field-reporting and creating explanatory content, reaching an audience of more than 500,000 across its platforms. The grant will be used in support of COVID-19 coverage, including in-depth reporting, and to help create a safe working environment for all eleven Ayibopost employees.

Matteo Civillini, Italy Matteo Civillini is a freelance investigative reporter and a member of IRPI, Italy’s only non-profit centre for investigative journalism. Funds will support an investigative report tracking Italian government contracts for the procurement of medical supplies and protective equipment, including masks and ventilators. A first story revealed contracts awarded to businessmen under fraud investigation and without a background in medical supplies.

Digital News Exchange (DNX), Philippines DNX is an in-depth, independent, highly visual online multimedia platform based in Western Visayas providing breaking news, in-depth coverage, and contextual reporting to a local and global audience. DNX’s COVID-19 coverage includes a city-wide emergency broadcast system reaching an area with more than 500,000 people. Grant funds will support operational expenses for two months.

DONIBLOG, Mali DONIBLOG is a collective of Malian bloggers who write about democracy and freedom of expression. They distribute information via a website as well as Facebook and Twitter. DONIBLOG plans to use the funds to train bloggers on how to address COVID-19 issues, monitor misinformation on social media, and provide protection kits for the bloggers.

DRONI, Albania DRONI is an online news site with a targeted team of four reporting on COVID-19 for Albanian audiences, including Albanian emigrants in western Europe who turn to Albanian news sources for information. Grant funds will help sustain and expand coronavirus reporting amid advertising revenue loss.

Food Bank News, United States Food Bank News is a non-profit publication that promotes the exchange of news, information and best practices in hunger relief, reaching executives and staff at food banks, as well as advocates, educators and researchers. With this grant, Food Bank News will increase the frequency of its newsletter, providing updates to hunger relief agencies about best practices in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on food-insecure populations.

GK, Ecuador GK is a women-led team of young and innovative investigative journalists producing human rights-focused media. GK established a special page on their website for COVID-19 issues when the pandemic started and plans to use the grant to map gender-based violence in Ecuador during the crisis, a widespread and underreported issue.

Infinit +, Albania Infinit + is a non-profit news site, with a current focus on countering misinformation that disproportionately targets or affects people with disabilities. Grant funds will support an online campaign of informational videos and message that provide COVID-19 information for people with disabilities.

KabarMedan.com, Indonesia KabarMedan produces independent online local news in Medan, the 3rd largest city in Indonesia. KabarMedan.com provides updates on coronavirus in North Sumatra Province, publishes fact checks in response to misinformation, and collaborates with other media in Indonesia to jointly disseminate educational content to combat the spread of the virus. As advertising lags, grant funds will help sustain their operations.

Klix, Bosnia Klix.ba is a popular independent news site with a twenty-year track record. At the onset of the pandemic, Klix created real-time tables, graphs, and interactive maps of coronavirus cases, a service relied on by government officials and national audiences. Grant funds will help sustain the advertising-reliant news service and support higher costs for server traffic and graphic design.

Media Matters for Women, Sierra Leone Media Matters for Women is a women-led organization that delivers information about reproductive rights, health and gender-based-violence to women in girls in rural areas. They plan to use funds to get information about COVID-19 to rural areas safely through town criers, Bluetooth transfers, and WhatsApp groups.

Abdullahi Mire, Kenya Abdullahi Mire is a Somali journalist in Kenya, currently working with Radio Gargaar in Dadaab Refugee Camp. A freelance journalist and student based in Nairobi, Mire was raised in Dadaab and moved back recently to serve the community there, as the news of COVID-19 spread. Grant funds will help Mire expand his 20-minute Somali-language radio program on coronavirus and related health issues to one hour per day.

NGO Center for Analytics and Investigations, Ukraine The NGO Center supports fact checking via workshops and resource production. Recently, they have organized a group of volunteer journalists who are addressing misinformation around COVID-19 and will use the funds to produce and promote videos about the issues, conduct webinars on fact-checking, and translate international information about COVID-19 for local audiences.

Novi Radio, Bosnia Novi Radio is the only private radio station serving 125,000 people in the cities of Bihac and Cazin, Bosnia. A severe drop in advertising revenue has reduced their six-person staff by two. With grant funds they aim to expand COVID-19 coverage to increase attention to vulnerable and marginalized groups and increase reporting on misinformation that creates panic locally.

Pax Press, Rwanda Pax Press is a network of 174 journalists working with 35 media outlets in Rwanda with the mission of enhancing social justice, peaceful cohabitation, citizen participation, conflict-sensitive media, and a space for dialogue. Pax Press will use funds to train journalists on covering COVID-19, combatting misinformation, personal safety, and efforts to strengthen freedom of information and transparency.

Pelangi Campaign, Malaysia Pelangi Campaign is a LGBTQ organization based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, focusing on advocacy and community engagement. Funding will support the creation of COVID-19 related content and infographics specifically targeted to LGBTQ audiences, with information on how to seek help.

RADA, Kenya RADA is an Android-based mobile application on health. Since the coronavirus outbreak, RADA has sent updates from the government of Kenya and World Health Organization to students and young people on the RADA platform, as well as affiliated WhatsApp and social media accounts, reaching more than 20,000 students. Grant funds will support additional social media campaigns specifically targeted at young people.

Petro Shuklinov, Ukraine Petro Shuklinov is a Ukrainian journalist who writes about Russian propaganda and its impact. He is currently targeting Russian speakers in Ukraine with information over social media on COVID-19, including fact-checking and anti-propaganda. He will use funds to purchase technical equipment that will allow him to safely conduct distance reporting.

Salud Con Lupa, Peru Salud con Lupa (“Health with a Magnifying Glass”) is a collaborative digital journalism website specializing in public health reporting. Based in Lima, Peru, their reporting teams are international and reach a wider Latin American audience. Their grant will develop a Visual Explainers series, an initiative to transform articles, explainers and fact-checks about COVID-19 into illustrated stories and infographics.

Chong Yee Shan, Malaysia Chong Yee Shan reports on Facebook in Mandarin to an audience of nearly 7,000, reaching primarily rural area residents, senior citizens, and less educated communities, for whom English and the national language are inaccessible. Her coverage translates medical and COVID-19 specific into simple terms, and focuses on issues of domestic violence, especially how to seek help. With grant funding, Chong Yee Shan will create a Mandarin-language online domestic violence support group.

Spice FM, Uganda Spice FM broadcasts in several local languages to a target audience of youth and women in Uganda, including two refugee settlements. They broadcast a weekly health program called Spice Doctor that they are now dedicating to COVID-19 related issues and they include COVID-19 information in a daily news program. With additional funding, they will provide safer conditions for their community correspondents in the refugee settlements, including remote recording equipment, loudspeakers, and transport.

Wanahabari Centre, Kenya Wanahabari Centre is a Kenyan non-profit providing training and mentorship to local journalists. With grant funds, Wanahabari Centre proposes to mentor and hold webinars with vernacular and community radio stations, supporting coverage in Kikuyu, Kalenjin, Swahili, and Dholuo languages, reaching millions of Kenyans with crucial COVID-19 messages at a time of growing misinformation and myths.

Additional Grantees
  • 101 Reporters Off Road Media Private Limited, India
  • A Common Future / Dignity Television, Cameroon
  • Abongdoh Maluyane Titus, Cameroon
  • ADARS FM, Ghana
  • Africtivistes, Senegal
  • AFYA Radio FM 96.9MHz, Tanzania
  • Ahmed Abdi Kosar, Kenya/Somalia
  • Alhambra Source, USA
  • Alternative Youth Radio, Liberia
  • Arbëria News, Albania
  • ASFEV, DRC
  • Asociación Convoca, Peru
  • Asociación de Radiodifusión Participativa (ARPAS), El Salvador
  • Associação Data Labe, Brazil
  • Association Rayhana pour Femme de Jendouba / Radio Rayhana, Tunisia
  • Audrey Simango (young female journalist/novelist), Zimbabwe
  • Awan Organization, Iraq
  • Babatunde Okunlola, Nigeria
  • Bashkatib, Egypt
  • Beta News Agency, Serbia
  • Black Girls Film, USA
  • Bugoye Deaf Women in Development Group, Uganda
  • Çağdaş Kaplan, Greece
  • Cameroon Association of Media Professionals (CAMP), Cameroon
  • #Care4Taal Pambansang Kongreso ng Kababaihan sa Kanayunan Project, Philippines
  • Center for Sustainable Communities & Portal Drina Press, Bosnia Herzegovena
  • CGNet Swara / SITARA, India
  • Chayka.lv, Latvia
  • CODEC CBO, Cameroon
  • Community Media Centre, Palestine
  • Community Radio Vijaya FM, Nepal
  • Conaq, Brazil
  • Conexione Migrante, USA
  • Connected Development (CODE), Nigeria
  • Courage Efeomo Uahomo, South Africa
  • Devcoms Network, Nigeria
  • Development platform YOU+, Latvia
  • Draufsicht Bamenda (Beyond the Horizon), Cameroon
  • Dream Radio Network Bamenda (DRNB), Cameroon
  • Edutainment Health Foundation, Zambia
  • En Alta Vos, Honduras
  • Farah Adnen, Iraq
  • Fe-Male, Lebanon
  • Follow the Money, Nigeria
  • Food for Mzansi, South Africa
  • Future Warriors Project, Tanzania
  • Futuro Media Group, USA
  • Gazeta Shqiptare (GHS), Albania
  • Girls Empowerment Network for Development, Tanzania
  • Give Them Hope Radio, Liberia
  • Harun Asefa Berta Data Analyst, Ethiopia
  • Hawa Feminist Coalition, Somalia
  • Ifedayo Ogunyemi, Nigeria
  • ImpactHub Media, Kenya
  • Information Newspaper, Lesotho
  • Irina Dzhamych, Serbia
  • Javier Garza, Mexico
  • Kairali News: K Rajendran, India
  • KBR Radio Network, Indonesia
  • Khabar Lahariya (Chambal Media), India
  • Kieraha.com, Indonesia
  • Koch FM, Kenya
  • KOSMO Health Digital, Rwanda
  • La Historia, Ecuador
  • La Opinion, Colombia
  • Lalang Hu Mga Laga, Philippines
  • Lassina Niangaly Fact Checking, Mali
  • Liz Haffa: Limitless Horizons, USA
  • Mabrouka Kedhir, Tunisia
  • Mail & Guardian, South Africa
  • Malaysiakini, Malaysia
  • Malaysiakini, Malaysia
  • Manila Today, Philippines
  • Market Women Voice, Nigeria
  • Media Development Foundation, Ukraine
  • Media Research Centre, Serbia
  • Melba Newsome, USA
  • Mindanao Times, Philippines
  • MITERI Radio Network, Nepal
  • Mongolia Public Media Content Foundation, Mongolia
  • Morfosis Digital, Guatemala
  • Mwanedu FM, Kenya
  • Nenzit FM, Nigeria
  • Network of Journalists and Communicators for Development through National Languages, Burkina Faso
  • Newsmeter, India
  • Nisaa Broadcasting Radio Co. (Nissa FM), Palestine
  • Oluwatobi Oyetunde, Nigeria
  • Online Media Network doo Zaječar, Serbia
  • Oštro, Slovenia
  • Pastoralist Journalist Network, Kenya
  • People’s Power Collective, India
  • Periferia em Movimento, Brazil
  • Punto Norte, USA
  • Radio Active CR 90.4 MHz (Jain University), India
  • Radio City Nis, Serbia
  • Radio Domus FM, Kenya
  • Radio Izere FM, Burundi
  • Radio Kim Media Group, Kosovo
  • Radio Padma, Bangladesh
  • Radio Sagamartha, Nepal
  • Radio Sagarmartha, Nepal
  • Radio Sindhu, Nepal
  • Radio Ucamara, Peru
  • Radio Wassoulou 95.1MHz, Mali
  • Radnička Prava, Croatia
  • Red Brasileña de Justicia Ambiental (RBJA), Brazil
  • Red de Comunicadores Boca de Polen, Mexico
  • Rede Wayuri de Comunicadores Indígenas, Brazil
  • Revista Muy Waso, Bolivia
  • ROJAPED – PWD & Vulnerable People, Rwanda
  • RPDI Corona Fakes, Ukraine
  • Rwanda Gay & Lesbian Rights Promoters, Rwanda
  • Sadia Nour Eid, Somalia
  • SentARTE, Colombia
  • Shirlie Rodriguez, Guatemala
  • Soule LGBTQ News, Canada
  • Suada Arnautovic (Oslobodjenje), Bosnia
  • Suno India, India
  • Tanmoy Badhuri, India
  • Tebar Naimi (ABAIR), Tunisia
  • The Citizen Bulletin, Zimbabwe
  • The Isaan Record, Thailand
  • The Mongolian Public Media Content Foundation, Mongolia
  • The Post, Cameroon
  • The State Network, India
  • Tinig, UK
  • Uptake, USA
  • Velikiy Lug, Ukraine
  • Violeta Radio, Mexico
  • Vision des Filles Leaders pour le Development, DRC
  • Voice of Sumadija, Serbia
  • Voice of Sumbawanga FM, Tanzania
  • Voices of Reconciliation, South Sudan
  • Voz das Comunidades, Brazil
  • Women Media Owners for Change, Rwanda
  • Woodberg Advertising, Zimbabwe
  • Yombi Kep, Papua New Guinea
  • Zaina Foundation, Tanzania
  • Zavod Časoris, Slovenia
  • Zonautara.com, Indonesia