SAMIP is a program of the Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF), a not-for-profit investment fund for independent media in countries where access to free media is under threat, with objectives to diversify, strengthen and support innovation among independent media initiatives.
SAMIP’s regional expansion comes after four successful years supporting more than 20 media outlets in South Africa to accelerate digital innovation and sustainability with a combination of capacity building, training, specialist mentoring and grant funding.
The new regional cohort includes established online news organisation 263chat, which has successfully distributed a digital e-paper for the past four years and has plans to extend their news offering with an SMS news product for Zimbabwe’s underserved audiences.
Another Zimbabwean news outlet invited to participate in the multi-year capacity-building program is hyperlocal digital news outlet The Citizen Bulletin which provides local news reporting to the Matabeleland community.
SAMIP will also be working with a young team from Lesotho’s weekly newspaper Newsday, who are looking to diversify their product offering with a video news service, which they are currently distributing through social media.
In Namibia, the non-profit Namibia Media Trust will be exploring innovative ways to empower marginalised communities, particularly those living with disabilities, to tell their own stories in the media.
“The new regional participants have exciting projects that explore new distribution and revenue models, with a focus on underserved audiences. We look forward to working with them to develop their product ideas and businesses,” said Bilal Randeree, SAMIP Program Director.
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About The South Africa Media Innovation Program (SAMIP)
SAMIP was established in 2017 by Media Development Investment Fund as a multi-year initiative to accelerate digital innovation and sustainability among select independent media outlets in South Africa. The program has worked with a total of 24 independent media companies, non-profits, and start-ups, providing a mix of grant funding, capacity building, and targeted investment. For more information see samip.mdif.org or follow @samip_mdif on Twitter.
Contact: Brigitte Read
SAMIP Program Officer
[email protected]
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SAMIP will admit up to five new projects, providing grants of USD5,000 to 15,000 per organization, as well as capacity building and technical assistance. Follow this link for full eligibility criteria and to apply: https://samip.mdif.org/expansion-announcement/
SAMIP was launched in 2017 to diversify, strengthen and support innovation among independent media initiatives, through a mix of project funding, technical support and capacity building, and investment. Its initial focus was the South African media sector.
Now, after four years and 24 media initiatives, SAMIP is expanding its focus to include independent media organizations in five new Southern African countries: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Independent media in these five countries are invited to apply to join our cohort of publishers by 31 July 2021.
SAMIP provides a space for new and established ventures alike to undertake a major strategic project for the growth or sustainability of their organization, including developing new audiences and products, testing new strategies, or exploring new revenue opportunities.
Since its launch in 2017, SAMIP has:
“We have seen great innovations coming from our South African cohort these last few years. This regional expansion is an opportunity to extend this support to media innovators in new southern African markets, and foster collaborations and learning beyond borders,” says SAMIP program manager Bilal Randeree.
Applications close on 31 July 2021.
About The South Africa Media Innovation Program (SAMIP)
SAMIP was established in 2017 by Media Development Investment Fund as a multi-year initiative to accelerate digital innovation and sustainability among select independent media outlets in South Africa. The program has worked with a total of 24 independent media companies, non-profits, and start-ups, providing a mix of grant funding, capacity building, and targeted investment. For more information see samip.mdif.org or follow @samip_mdif on Twitter.
For more information contact Khumo Sello, Junior Program Officer, [email protected]
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