Introducing Global Fact Check Fund: SUSTAIN 2025

Fact-checking organizations worldwide are adapting to a rapidly changing media environment. With shifts in platform partnerships, evolving funding models and new technological challenges, many organizations need bridge support to maintain their verification work while building long-term sustainability.

To support fact-checking newsrooms and promote information integrity worldwide, the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the Poynter Institute, a global leader in journalistic excellence, administers the Global Fact Check Fund: SUSTAIN to provide timely resources that help IFCN signatories navigate these transitions and emerge stronger.

Through its grant application and reporting requirements, the grant fund seeks to improve the capacity of fact-checkers across a changing media landscape for the long term. For 2026, the fund’s mission is to strengthen the financial sustainability of IFCN signatories and to sustain the impact of fact-checking journalism. The fund is administered by the IFCN staff with the guidance of a steering committee made up of experts in the fact-checking field and fact-checking leaders from around the world.

The Global Fact Check Fund started in 2023 with three rounds of project-based funding designated as BUILD, GROW and ENGAGE. In 2025, recognizing that fact-checkers need core operational support to navigate reduced platform partnerships and diversify revenue streams, the IFCN modified the program to focus on financial sustainability, designating new application rounds with the name SUSTAIN. The IFCN launched one round of SUSTAIN in late 2025 and made awards in January 2026.

The IFCN is launching an additional round of SUSTAIN in February 2026. We anticipate an additional round of SUSTAIN that will grant funding for 2027. At this time, all awards are anticipated to be $30,000 each. Only IFCN signatory organizations are eligible for awards.

The IFCN reserves the right to change details for future rounds based on learnings from the grant process and changes in the publishing environment. Changes will be made only after consultation with the IFCN advisory board and the Global Fact Check Fund steering committee, and only with their formal approval.

The SUSTAIN 2026 opportunity opens Feb. 19, 2026, and closes March 25, 2026. 

Check back here for announcements on future rounds.

All grant applicants must register at https://ifcn.grantplatform.com/

IMPORTANT AWARD INFORMATION 

Focus: The intent of this grant fund is to assist the sustainability of published fact-checking. Applicants for this funding will be seeking to help maintain their institutional capacity.

Activities may include maintaining staffing, supporting programs designed to address training needs, launching fundraising initiatives, diversifying revenue streams, expanding data analytic tools or other plans to increase long-term financial sustainability. 

Please note that this is not a project-based initiative. This opportunity is not suited for developing new fact checking projects or for expanding to new markets to engage new audiences, unless there is direct connection to financially sustaining fact-checking activities into the future. 

What success looks like:

Strong uses of SUSTAIN funding address immediate sustainability needs while building longer-term resilience. Examples include:

• Maintaining core verification capacity during funding transitions: An organization affected by the conclusion of USAID or the loss of tech company contracts uses SUSTAIN funds to retain key staff during a transition period while securing new partnerships, ensuring no interruption in their public service journalism.
• Investing in revenue diversification infrastructure: An organization dependent on single-source funding uses the award to hire part-time development support or purchase fundraising tools, establishing systems to pursue revenue streams such as reader support, training services, or data licensing.
• Bridging economic disruptions: An organization experiencing economic instability or severe currency devaluation uses funds to maintain operations while adjusting their business model to local economic realities, including developing earned revenue products or regional funding partnerships.

A successful application demonstrates how $30,000 in bridge funding prevents disruption to fact-checking output while the organization executes specific steps toward financial sustainability. The goal is maintaining journalism capacity today while building resilience for tomorrow.

Award amounts:

Awards will be $30,000 USD. 

Eligibility:

This SUSTAIN  opportunity is open to verified signatories to the IFCN Code of Principles, with a status of active or in renewal who have not previously received a SUSTAIN grant.

Additionally, applicant smust not have a current, open IFCN grant from the Global Fact Check Fund. An applicant which received a prior IFCN award must have a completed and closed grant based on:

• having closed out all activities as described in the approved application.
• having met and finished the end of their grant performance period, including any no-cost extension periods.
• having submitted a final report.
• having been approved for their final grant payment.

Additionally, signatories need to demonstrate that they:

• Are facing immediate challenges such as financial instability, resource shortages, or crisis impacts.
• Will face clear challenges in the immediate future that will compromise maintaining operations.
• Can provide a sustainability plan that incorporates the award funding as a supplemental resource as opposed to the only resource to maintain operations.
• Are able to communicate clear need and alignment with fund objectives.

Requirements:

To qualify, applicants must:

• Maintain verified IFCN Code of Principles signatory status, including actively publishing fact-checks as required by the IFCN Code of Principles.
• Provide documentation of your sustainability challenge and its potential impact on fact-checking operations.
• Submit a 24-month financial sustainability outline that shows:
  • How the $30,000 award addresses specific funding gaps in months 1-12
  • Other funding sources being pursued or already secured
  • Key milestones for strengthening your financial position during the grant period
• Submit a detailed, itemized budget showing how the $30,000 will be used within the 6-12 month performance period.
• Agree to comply with reporting and accountability requirements.

Award performance period: All approved application activities must be completed within a 6-12 month timeframe. While the grant period is 6-12 months, we ask for a 24-month sustainability outlook to ensure the funding serves as an effective bridge to longer-term stability.

Award performance period: 

All approved application activities must be completed within a 6-12 months timeframe.

Applications are accepted starting Feb. 18 until March 25, 2026. We will review applications as they arrive for eligibility. Fund awards will be made in one disbursement, typically in May 2026.  

Questions? Please send all questions to info@ifcn.org, using “SUSTAIN 2026”in the subject line.

Global Fact Check Fund Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for SUSTAIN 2026

Q. How is this round (SUSTAIN) different from the previous rounds (BUILD, GROW, ENGAGE)?

SUSTAIN is aimed at supporting fact-checking organizations in their core work and promoting financial sustainability. The application is shorter and simpler than previous rounds, and the reporting requirements will be lighter. Awardees will receive one immediate payment of $30,000. In six months or a year, a brief report will be required to close out the grant.

Q. What will determine who wins an award?

The application seeks to identify organizations that have reasonable and specific plans for financial sustainability and to bolster those plans. The award is not intended to be the sole source of funding for any applicant. Applications that say the IFCN is their only source of funding are unlikely to be awarded. Strong applications will present well-thought out ideas for sustainability over the next two years and include a variety of revenues, either existing or to be developed. All applications will be scored by reviewers; the ones with the top marks will receive awards.

Q. Who are the reviewers?

We expect each application to be reviewed three times. Two of the reviewers will be IFCN staff; a third reviewer may be from the applicant’s region. The regional reviewer is intended to help assess the feasibility of financial sustainability given the local context. All reviewers sign agreements to keep application materials confidential.

Q. Can we apply if our organization is currently in renewal status for Code of Principles verification?

Yes, organizations with either active or in-renewal status are eligible to apply. However, you must maintain your signatory status throughout the grant period, including weekly publishing requirements.

Q. What counts as “documentation” of our sustainability challenge?

Documentation could include financial statements showing revenue loss, correspondence about ended partnerships, notifications of grant conclusions, currency devaluation data, or other concrete evidence of financial pressures. A brief narrative explaining the challenge with supporting figures is typically sufficient. The original documents are not required for submission.

Q. How detailed should our itemized budget be?

Your budget should show major categories of spending (e.g., staff salaries, operational costs, fundraising investments) with dollar amounts for each. We don’t need line-by-line detail, but we should understand how the $30,000 will be allocated across your sustainability priorities.

Q. Can SUSTAIN funds be used to pay existing staff salaries?

Yes, maintaining core fact-checking staff is an appropriate use of funds if it prevents disruption to your verification work while you secure longer-term funding.

Q. Can SUSTAIN funds be used to attend GlobalFact?

Yes, travel to GlobalFact is appropriate if it supports your financial sustainability plan.

Q. We received a BUILD/GROW/ENGAGE grant that ends in January 2026. Can we apply for SUSTAIN?

You can apply, but you won’t be eligible to receive SUSTAIN funding until your current grant is fully closed out, including submission of your final report and receipt of final payment approval.

Q. What if our sustainability challenge develops after the application deadline?

If you don’t have a documented challenge for the spring 2026 round, you may want to wait for the 2027 round. However, if you can reasonably anticipate upcoming challenges (like a grant ending), you can apply proactively.

Q. Is there a minimum amount of fact-checking output required during the grant period?

You must maintain active fact-checking as required by the IFCN Code of Principles, which has a weekly fact-check publishing requirement. The goal is to sustain your current capacity, not to increase or decrease output.