Walkley Solutions Journalism Fund

supported by the Walkley Foundation Public Fund.

Eligibility Criteria, Selection Criteria, and Terms & Conditions

Entry Period

Entries open at 9am on Tuesday 1 October 2024 (Sydney time) and close at 11.59pm on Tuesday 12 November 2024.

Eligibility Criteria

Who is not eligible

Organisations that have previously or currently received funding through a content licensing agreement with Meta for Facebook News or Videos will not be eligible to apply for this program.

Trade and contract publishing titles are not eligible to apply.

Who is eligible

Applications can be made by eligible news organisations, or by individual journalists.

Organisations and individuals who have received funding from the Meta Australian News Fund, administered by the Walkley Foundation, are eligible to apply.

In the case of organisations, full-time employee staffing costs or consultants will not be funded by this program. However, part-time, casual and contract staffing costs, as well as the extension of hours of current part-time staff, are eligible for funding.

IMPORTANT: Funding is available for stories or new projects that have not already underway and have no other source of external funding.

Eligibility requirements for news organisations

Organisations applying for funding must:

Be an eligible Australian-based media organisation with its primary business being the creation of news or informative content
Have demonstrated business operations for a minimum of one year prior to applying to the Program (based on objective measures such as corporate filings and business name registrations)
Have a minimum of two full-time journalism staff (or the equivalent)
Publish informative content regularly through a digital channel such as a website, newsletter or social platform
Not have a content licensing agreement in place with Meta for Facebook News or Video. For the avoidance of doubt, applicants that have other funding arrangements in place with Meta, or that have been provided funding through an affiliation or industry body distributing on behalf of Meta, are eligible provided they also meet the other eligibility criteria. Organisations and individuals who have received funding from the Meta Australian News Fund, administered by the Walkley Foundation, are eligible to apply.
Be able to contribute to a Meta case study and other marketing initiatives with Meta.

Applications by media organisations should be made by the journalist/s most directly responsible for the publication/masthead undertaking the project.

Parent companies may apply on behalf of one or more organisations, however, they must disclose this clearly in their application.

Applicants that have previously received funding from the Meta Australian News Fund will need to share the impact of previous funding received as part of their application.

Eligibility requirements for individuals

Individuals applying for funding must:

Be independent journalist(s) working primarily in Australia
Be either Australian citizens or permanent residents.

What you will need to submit

All applicants will need to submit

1. A detailed project brief (maximum 1000 words).

Spend up to 700 words on the following:

- Your project, its overall aims, and specific activities.
- How your story or project meets the requirements of solutions-focused storytelling. You can refer to our online guide, Implementing solutions journalism: A guide to putting solutions approaches into practice for reporters and editors before completing this part of your application.
- What the public interest need or rationale is for your story or project.
- The target audience your project aims to serve.

And up to 300 words on the following:
- The publishing platform/s that the project will be carried on.
- The distribution channels you will use to let audiences know about your project or story. This can include platforms, mastheads, or media channels on which you plan to publish/ broadcast the project, and can also include any events related to the project.
- Expected outcomes and how you will measure each outcome.
- How you plan to use the funds to achieve your expected outcomes.

The project brief, which will be the basis of decision-making by the judges, should consist of non-confidential information that can be shared publicly by Meta and/or the Walkley Foundation in the event of a grant application succeeding. If the applicant wishes to disclose confidential information to the judges, this must be clearly marked in the project brief. The judges respect the confidentiality of any application.

2. A detailed budget of your project using a template supplied by the Foundation in the application form.

3. If the requested amount is over $20,000, applicants may wish to assist the judges by submitting audited accounts or a verified business plan signed off by an appropriately qualified referee.

4. As part of their application, all applicants will also be required to provide:

A registered Australian Business Number if the applicant is applying as a business.
Confirmation that they abide by the MEAA Code of Ethics.
Any other requirements as indicated on the application form.

For organisation applications only:

Their most recent audited financial statement.
The name of a parent organisation, if applicable.
Proof of consistent publishing over the previous 12 months.

For individual journalist applicants only:

Examples of at least two articles, programs or podcasts published in the past 12 months.

AND

In the case of individual journalists planning to publish on an existing platform: a reference from an editor or publisher that includes a statement of intent to publish or broadcast the finished project, and a description of the applicant’s suitability for funding and ability to deliver the proposed work.

In the case of a self-produced content-maker (e.g. podcaster, YouTuber, TikToker etc): an appropriate letter of endorsement from an industry professional vouching for the applicant’s skills to deliver the proposed project.

All applications must:

Be in the English language. Any submissions as part of the application in languages other than English must be submitted with an English translation.
Not discriminate based on race, gender, faith, national origin, sexual orientation or disability in accordance with current Australian legislation.
Not include propaganda.
Not be editorially directed by any government or government agency.
Disclose if they have previously received funding from the Facebook/Meta Australian News Fund.

There are no entry application costs.

Selection Criteria

Eligible applications will be assessed, and funding recipients will be selected, according to the following Selection Criteria:

How the funds will support solutions-focused journalism that is in the public interest;
Whether the applicant has provided a clear and compelling description of how funds will be used for the intended purpose;
The organisational need and the clarity of the applicant’s budget proposal;
The applicant’s prior journalism practice, using measures such as the quality of previous work published, audience engagement metrics achieved through past published work, as provided in their application;
Consideration of resources available to the applicant;
How project resources, including staffing and technology investment, will achieve project outcomes;
The application is for a story or new project that is not already underway and has no other source of external funding.

Terms & Conditions

Note: In addition to the terms and conditions, successful applicants will be required to enter into separate contracts with the Walkley Foundation for the provision of the funding.

Applications

Eligible applicants must submit to the Walkley Foundation (online via the link at the bottom of these terms) a completed application form during the Entry Period from 09:00am, Tuesday 1 October 2024 (Sydney time) to 11.59pm on Tuesday 12 November 2024.
Applications will not be accepted after the end of the Entry Period. Applicants are required to complete and answer all sections of the application. Incomplete applications will immediately be disqualified.
Applications may not include funding requests for stories or projects that are already underway
Each applicant grants the Walkley Foundation and Meta a non-exclusive license to use any intellectual property rights in their application for the purpose of promoting and conducting the Walkley Solutions Journalism Fund.
Applications will be assessed and judged by an independent panel with relevant industry expertise, as selected by the Walkley Foundation.
The Walkley Foundation and the judges will have the right to reject an application which in their opinion does not comply with these terms and conditions.
The judges’ decisions will be final.
Conflict of interest disclosures will apply to all judges.

Successful funding recipients

Each successful applicant agrees to enter into an agreement with the Walkley Foundation which includes these terms and any additional terms required by the Walkley Foundation (for example, in relation to reporting and accounting, or any compliance language required by Meta).
The Walkley Foundation will notify successful applicants on or before 28 February 2025.
Successful applicants must use the funds awarded to them in accordance with their budgets, and only for the purposes submitted in their application and/or approved by the Walkley Foundation, within 12 months from the date of receipt of the funding.
All successful applicants are required to submit acquittal reports to the Walkley Foundation that describe the use and impact of the funding within 60 days and 12 months of receipt of the funding. These reports may be shared with Meta.
Applicants who have received funding from the Meta Australian News Fund will need to share the impact of previous funding received in their application.
All funds distributed to funding recipients are exclusive of GST. Each funding recipient is responsible for and must pay all taxes (including income tax and/or GST, as applicable), duties and government charges imposed or levied in Australia or overseas in connection with their use of the funds.
In the case of organisations, successful applicants must have the project for which they are receiving funding financially audited by a licensed auditor as part of the acquittal process. The cost of this audit can be included in the budget submitted with their application.
Use of any funding amount must comply with all applicable explicit or implicit terms and conditions or policies applicable for platforms, applications, software, tools or other resources used by the fund’s recipient, if any.
Funding recipients must agree to pay freelancers and contractors employed under this scheme at least the prevailing MEAA rate for freelance contributions or as staff costs (whichever is applicable).
Funding recipients must also comply with Meta’s Privacy Principles available at https://www.facebook.com/about/basics/privacy-principles and Facebook’s community standards https://transparency.fb.com/en-gb/policies/community-standards/.

Recipients must also abide by any ethical standards applicable to the proposed project, as determined by the Walkley Foundation’s sole discretion. As such, each applicant must follow the spirit of such terms and conditions, principles and policies; and any attempt to subvert or to use a workaround of such terms and conditions or policies may, in the Walkley Foundation’s sole discretion, result in forfeiture of any funding amounts awarded or disqualification from this Program.
Grant recipients are required to submit a 60-day report on the progress on their project and a one-year report encapsulating the project’s results and impact over the 12 months of the project.
Grant recipients will be required to meet with a Walkley Foundation project manager in person or online a minimum of once every month over the course of the 12-month project.
Successful applicants may be offered the option to have their project included in research by the Solutions Journalism Network, to help the media industry better understand the efficacy of solutions approaches for audience engagement, trust-building, and supporting revenue. Participation in the research is optional.
Successful applicants must comply with all applicable laws in relation to their participation in the Walkley Solutions Journalism Fund.
The Walkley Solutions Journalism Fund is independently administered by the Walkley Foundation. Each applicant fully releases and waives Meta from any liability, however arising, in connection with these terms and conditions and the Walkley Solutions Journalism Fund.
Each applicant must provide the Walkley Foundation with such information and reports, including financial information and reports, as the Walkley Foundation requests in connection with these terms and conditions.
The Walkley Foundation will treat in confidence all information disclosed as confidential by applicants.
Each applicant indemnifies the Walkley Foundation against all liabilities, losses, damages, costs and expenses (including all legal costs, whether incurred or awarded) suffered or incurred by the Walkley Foundation in relation to any breach by the applicant of its obligations under these terms and conditions, except to the extent that the liabilities, damages, losses, costs and expenses are caused or contributed to by the negligence of the Walkley Foundation.
To the extent permissible by law, the Walkley Foundation’s liability is as expressly stated in this agreement and all other liability is excluded.

How to apply

All applications must be submitted through the online entry form.

Before applying we strongly encourage you to download and review Implementing solutions journalism: A guide to putting solutions approaches into practice for reporters and editors. It is a condensed version of training by the Walkley Foundation and Solutions Journalism Network in 2023-2024.

Applications must be completed online. NOTE: It is the responsibility of the applicant to answer all questions and provide all materials requested. Incomplete applications may disqualify the applicant.

If you have any questions or need help, please contact Sian Gard, Project Manager, sian.gard @walkleys.com or call +61 403 258 054.