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Terms & Conditions

Facebook Australian News Fund 2021 Round

Entries open 8am on Thursday October 14, 2021 and close 5pm on Friday November 26, 2021 AEST (Entry Period)

The 2021 Round includes two funds and will be managed by the Walkley Foundation. In addition to these terms and conditions, successful applicants will be required to enter into separate contracts with the Walkley Foundation for the provision of the funding:

  1. Public Interest Journalism Fund (PIJ Fund)
  2. Newsroom Sustainability Fund (NS Fund)

Eligibility

The Public Interest Journalism Fund will allocate up to AU$2.5 million by awarding funding of up to AU$120,000 to invest in public interest journalism, support small, regional/rural newsrooms as well as newsrooms/journalists covering under-served communities, and to encourage media diversity.

News organisations and independent journalists are eligible for a single amount ranging up to AUD $120,000 each.

Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements to apply:

  1. be an Australia-based news organisation or an independent journalist employed in Australia;
  2. have demonstrated business operations for a minimum of one year prior to applying;
  3. agree to contribute to a Facebook case study and other marketing initiatives with Facebook;
  4. not have a content licensing agreement in place with Facebook for Facebook News or video. For the avoidance of doubt, applicants that have other funding arrangements in place with Facebook, or have been provided funding through an affiliation or industry body distributing on behalf of Facebook, will be eligible to apply if they meet all other eligibility criteria;

The Newsroom Sustainability Fund will allocate up to AU$2.5 million by awarding grants of up to AU$250,000 to fund newsroom products and revenue-related projects.

News organisations are eligible for a single amount ranging up to AUD $250,000 each.

Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements to apply:

  1. be Australia-based;
  2. have demonstrated business operations for a minimum of one year prior to applying;
  3. have a specific proposal designed to promote sustainable journalism and/or community benefit;
  4. have a minimum of equivalent of two full-time journalism staff;
  5. not have a content licensing agreement in place with Facebook for Facebook News or video. For the avoidance of doubt, applicants that have other funding arrangements in place with Facebook, or have been provided funding through an affiliation or industry body distributing on behalf of Facebook, will be eligible to apply if they meet all other eligibility criteria; and

General terms of eligibility (for both funds)

  • Applicants who are eligible for both funds may apply to both funds, provided that only one application to each fund per applicant is permitted.
  • For individual journalists eligible to apply to the PIJ Fund only one application is permitted.
  • For the purpose of assessing applications, public interest journalism is defined as journalism with the primary purpose of recording, investigating and explaining public policy and issues of public interest or significance with the aim of engaging citizens in public debate and informing democratic decision making.
  • Full-time employee staffing costs will not be funded. For the PIJ fund only, part-time, casual and contract staffing costs, as well as the extension of hours of current part-time staff are eligible for funding.
  • For the avoidance of doubt, eligible media organisations focusing on “lifestyle” topics such as the arts, travel and food will be considered.
  • Trade and contract publishing titles are not eligible to apply.
  • We encourage applications from organisations that publish in languages other than English, but their applications must be in English.

Terms & Conditions

These terms apply to both the PIJ Fund and the NS Fund.

Applications

  • To enter, eligible applicants must (during the Entry Period from 8am on October 14 to 5pm on November 26) submit to the Walkley Foundation (online via the link at the bottom of these terms) a completed application form. As part of their application, applicants will also be required to provide:
    • a registered Australian Business Number;
    • their most recent financial statement;
    • a charter of editorial or professional standards or equivalent;
    • a detailed budget of their project; and
    • Any other requirements as indicated on the application forms
  • 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; and
    • not be editorially directed by any government or government agency.
  • Applications may include funding requests for projects already underway or part-funded by other entities including the applicant, provided that funding under the PIJ or NS Funds cannot be awarded retrospectively.
  • Each applicant grants the Walkley Foundation a non-exclusive licence to use any intellectual property rights in their application for the purpose of the Walkley Foundation conducting the Facebook News Funds.
  • There are no entry application costs.
  • 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.

Assessment 

  • Eligible applications will be assessed, and funding recipients will be selected, according to the following criteria:
    • 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 quality of prior news reporting and other content of the applicant;
    • whether the applicant has clearly and candidly explained how the funding will contribute to their organisation’s long-term viability and/or public benefit.
    • consideration of resources available to the applicant.
  • Preference will be given to applicants based in a regional area, or serving local communities, or digital-only publications.
  • The receipt of funds in prior years may be a factor in considering funding for recipients in future years, but will not automatically preclude recipients from funding across multiple years. Applicants who fail to fully acquit their funds will not be eligible for funding in future years.
  • Applications will be assessed and judged by independent panels of journalists with the relevant industry expertise, as selected by the Walkley Foundation.
  • 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 

  • The Walkley Foundation will notify successful applicants by March 30, 2022
  • Successful applicants must use the funds awarded to them in accordance with the 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 that describe the use and impact of the funding within 60 days and 12 months of receipt of the funding.
  • All funds distributed to funding recipients are exclusive of GST. Each funding recipient is responsible for and must pay all taxes (including GST), duties and government charges imposed or levied in Australia or overseas in connection with their use of the funds.
  • All successful applicants must have the project for which they are receiving funding financially audited by a licensed auditor, the cost of which can be included in 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 funds recipient, if any.
  • Funds recipients must also comply with Facebook’s Privacy Principles available at https://www.facebook.com/about/basics/privacyprinciples, as well as any ethical standards applicable to the proposed project, as determined in by Facebook and 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 work-around of such terms and conditions or policies may, in Facebook and the Walkley Foundation’s sole discretion, result in forfeiture of any funding amounts awarded or disqualification from this Program.
  • Each successful applicant agrees to enter into a further 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 Facebook).

Other terms and conditions 

  • Each applicant must comply with all applicable laws in relation to their participation in the PIJ Fund and/or the NS Fund.
  • The Facebook News Fund is independently administered by the Walkley Foundation. Each applicant fully releases and waives Facebook, Inc. from any liability, however arising, in connection with these terms and conditions and the Facebook News Fund.
  • To the extent permissible by law, the Walkley Foundation’s liability is as expressly stated in this agreement and all other liability is excluded.
  • 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.
  • 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.

How to apply

All applications must be submitted through the online entry form before the deadline of November 26, 2021.

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 Kate Burgess on kate.burgess@walkleys.com or call +61 402 479 499.

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