E X E C U T I V E IIS U M M A R Y

Non-U.S. Funders of Media Assistance Projects

by

Lee B. Becker & Tudor Vlad

James M. Cox Jr. Center for International Mass Communication Training and Research
Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602 U.S.A.





This report was prepared for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

This report is a first attempt to systematically examine the media assistance landscape among donor countries other than the U.S. The project was undertaken as part of a larger effort to examine empirically the relationship between media assistance and its expected outcomes.

The examination showed that:

• At least 70 organizations in 25 donor countries outside the United States are involved in funding media assistance projects.
• Donors are units of governments in single countries, nongovernmental organizations, including foundations, and multinational organizations.
• Based on the most recent year for which reporting organizations provided data on media assistance, $0.75 billion is being spent each year on media assistance projects by donors from outside the United States.
• The actual level of spending for media assistance is likely to be in the neighborhood of $1 billion annually.
• Spending is spread around the world, with eastern and central Europe and African countries major recipients.

Click here to download the full report and a supplemental listing of donor organizations.