MDIF has provided affordable debt and equity financing to independent news companies in a range of countries where access to free and independent media is under threat. Our financing and technical assistance have helped scores of media organizations build robust businesses, strong enough to hold governments to account, expose corruption and provide a platform for debate.
Impact
Investing for impact
$226.7m
total financing
362 projects
for 117 clients
in 41 countries
$104m current assets under management
Impact on clients
Working with MDIF has a positive impact on client businesses. It helps news organziations build audiences and revenues, supporting their overall financial viability.
Social impact
MDIF invests in independent media as a way of helping people build free, thriving societies. With a combined audience of almost 100 million people, MDIF-supported news businesses made a positive impact on their communities, including in these three areas:
Our approach to impact tracking
MDIF
Does MDIF’s financing and technical assistance improve client sustainability?
Impact level 1
Client
Do MDIF’s clients have a positive impact on their societies?
Impact level 2
Society
Impact assessment is a critical part of our work, and we continuously work to refine and improve it in response to the sweeping changes in the media sector and changing best practices in impact measurement. We have developed a rigorous and streamlined process of tracking the impact of our financing and technical assistance, from its direct impact on client viability to how our clients drive change in their societies. Our approach includes both numerical and narrative data, as well as detailed longitudinal analysis and contemporaneous examples.