Last week I delivered a keynote at the Africa Facts Summit in Nairobi, an annual gathering that brings together fact-checkers, journalists, researchers, and civil society from across Africa and beyond to strengthen information integrity on the continent. I challenged participants to answer that question honestly.

For many newsrooms in Africa, this is not hypothetical. It already happened when US aid was frozen in early 2025. Several media houses in various countries, including community radios in the DRC, Ethiopia and Zambia were hit. Others are still downsizing or planning to close.

As Martin Scott, a professor of media and global development, put it at the International Journalism Festival in April: “We’re not in ‘choppy waters’. The boat has capsized, and we are shipwrecked on a different island.”

So after decades of media development funding, have we built stronger media institutions? Or institutions that are exceptionally good at surviving from one grant to the next?

My argument isn’t against grants. Grants have paid for some of the most important journalism on this continent, and for newsrooms in conflict zones or under authoritarian governments, the market may never replace them. But a good grant should work like scaffolding. It should support you while you build, and leave something standing when the money ends.

A grant that pays for 20 investigations is valuable. Now imagine if part of that same grant also built a loyal audience, a product people will pay for, skills that stay, or a new source of income. The investigations still get done, and when the grant ends, the newsroom is stronger than when it started.

Some newsrooms are already showing what this looks like. Daily Maverick in South Africa used a 2020 Google News Initiative grant to build its own tool for understanding its readers. By 2024, about 30,000 paying members were bringing in around 40% of its revenue. The money came from Google, but what it built belongs to the newsroom.

We also talked about the familiar line that “people here don’t want to pay for news.” Is that really true? In Kenya, you can pay five shillings for a single article in seconds through mobile money. Eric Mugendi, formerly of Africa Uncensored, puts it differently: “We don’t have a good enough product that people would want to pay for.” So before we conclude that our audiences won’t pay, what value are we giving them that they can’t easily get somewhere else for free?

The days of surviving from one grant to another are gone. The old model is under pressure, the international order is changing, and the donor pot is shrinking. So if the old model that created dependency is changing, what do we need to change in the model itself or build in its place?

That’s where leadership comes in. I asked leaders what their budget says about their strategy. We say we need new revenue, but almost everyone we employ produces journalism, and almost nobody builds products, audiences or partnerships. Who in your organisation wakes up every morning responsible for revenue? SembraMedia found that digital outlets with someone dedicated to revenue earned six to nine times more than those without.

Most of us also keep adding new shiny things and stop nothing. When I led BBC Africa’s move to digital-first, the hardest conversations were always about what we’d stop doing to invest in the new things we wanted to do. That meant reducing radio output in some languages and cutting some radio posts to fund digital transformation. Those decisions weren’t easy, because we were taking resources away from work people knew and valued.

There’s a challenge for funders too. We can’t ask organisations to become less grant-dependent while funding them in ways that reinforce dependency. How can you design a grant to leave something behind?

Sustainability isn't about getting rid of grants. It's about making sure every investment leaves the organisation stronger and gives it more choices about its future. To me, that’s what lasting on your own terms means.

When we talk about independence, we shouldn't look at it only in editorial terms. Financial resilience is part of editorial independence too.

So what will your next grant leave behind?

Informed Climate Journalism Network

Informed Earth is recruiting reporters and editors for a six-month online programme focused on climate science, climate policy and reporting techniques. The programme combines expert lectures, practical workshops, story clinics and peer learning, with a first cohort beginning in January 2027.

Deadline; November 1

Apply here

DPoA MTR Journalism Fellowship — United Nations

The United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States is selecting 10 journalists to cover the midterm review of the Doha Programme of Action. Fellows will receive return economy-class travel, a daily subsistence allowance for accommodation and meals, and access to briefings and networking opportunities.

Deadline; 30 November 2026

Apply here

YLabs - Knowledge and Communications Lead

YLabs is seeking a Knowledge and Communications Lead to drive strategic storytelling and communications for one of its largest partnerships, a multi-year collaboration focused on testing innovative approaches to programmes for young people across Africa.

Deadline; Rolling

Apply here

Henry Nxumalo Foundation — Southern Africa Accountability Journalism Project Grants

The Southern Africa Accountability Journalism Project awards reporting grants of $1,500 to $3,000, plus editorial and production support, for investigations that expose wrongdoing and abuses of power in the SADC region; freelance journalists and staff reporters or editors based in South Africa, eSwatini, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, or Mozambique may apply, and cross-border collaborations are favoured.

Deadline; Rolling

Apply here

Strategic Communications Advisor, Oxfam in Africa

This is a dynamic and high-impact role at the heart of Oxfam’s influencing work. You will shape and deliver strategic communications that enhance the Director’s profile, ensuring their engagements, ranging from high-level summits to media appearances, are impactful, coherent, and aligned with Oxfam’s priorities.

Apply here

We work with media organisations to turn big ideas into real impact — integrating AI, navigating digital shifts, and rethinking editorial strategy for the future. Curious about what that could look like for you? Let’s connect. Send me an email.