Simon Cumbers Media Fund

The Simon Cumbers Media Fund, an initiative of Irish Aid, supports journalists in Ireland to report on issues of global development for Irish audiences. This fund promotes quality coverage of global development issues by enabling journalists to travel to the ‘Global South’ and produce reports for publication.

The fund is named in honor of Simon Cumbers, an Irish journalist who was tragically killed while working for the BBC in Saudi Arabia in 2004.

📝 Opportunity Details

• Date Published: July 5, 2025
• Application Deadline: September 19, 2025
• Category: Grants
• Opportunity Location: Ireland
• Eligible Locations: Ireland
• Sponsor Organisation: Irish Aid

🎁 Benefits of the Simon Cumbers Media Fund

• The maximum funding available is €10,000, awarded only in exceptional circumstances.
• The fund covers costs associated with media professionals traveling to and within a developing country for the production of development-related articles or reports that are not typically covered by a media organization’s news budget.
• Funding is intended to facilitate project-related costs.

✅ Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Be professional journalists, either employed by a media organization or with a demonstrable record as a freelance reporter.
• Provide personal references and/or references to earlier work.
• Be affiliated with news/media outlets that are legal entities officially incorporated at least one year before the application deadline.
• The media outlet committing to publish the project must be a member of the Press Council of Ireland or a recognizable professional body.
• Applications are accepted for print, broadcast, and online projects, with a preference for cross-media projects.
• Joint applications (e.g., between a journalist and a photographer) are permitted, but strong reasons for collaboration must be provided.
• Include a valid letter of commitment to publish from a verifiable media outlet with its primary audience in the Republic of Ireland.

📋 Application Requirements

Proposed media projects should:

• Focus on international development themes and align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and priority areas in A Better World, Ireland's policy on international development.
• Reflect the modern reality of life in the ‘Global South’ in the context of international development.
• Challenge stereotypes and/or portray positive developments while exploring challenges.
• Explore themes of innovation, growth, and entrepreneurship.
• Be new projects that have not been broadcast, published, or exhibited in any format previously.
• Include a valid letter of commitment from a media outlet with its primary audience in the Republic of Ireland. The letter must be on the organization’s headed paper and signed by a commissioning editor.
• Applicants may submit only one project proposal and one exhibition proposal per funding round.
• Applicants already receiving grants from other Irish Aid funding streams for the proposed project are not eligible.

📅 Application Date and Process

• Application Deadline: September 19, 2025
• Apply through the Simon Cumbers Media Fund Application Portal.

📧 Contact Information

For more information, please contact scmf@dhr.ie.

🌐 Additional Information

Learn more about the Simon Cumbers Media Fund on the official website.

• The maximum amount of funding available is €10,000, awarded only in exceptional circumstances.
• The Fund covers costs associated with members of the media travelling to and within a developing country for the production of development-related articles or reports that would not normally be covered by a media organisation’s news budget.