The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the Poynter Institute, has awarded $50,000 each from the 2024 GROW grant to 20 fact-checking organisations globally to counter misinformation.
These initiatives aim to empower local communities, create sustainable fact-checking models, and leverage AI, videos, and social media to reach broader audiences.
This was disclosed via a statement signed by the director of the IFCN, Angie Holan, on October 21, 2024.
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The statement noted that 20 winning initiatives were chosen from an initial pool of 109 applicants by a panel of independent reviewers. Proposals were evaluated based on their innovation, sustainability, and potential to expand fact-checking efforts.
Holan, highlighted that the projects showcase the various approaches fact-checkers are using to address misinformation.
“Some are harnessing AI, others are expanding into new languages, and many are strengthening existing approaches. With these grants, fact-checkers can expand their reach and make a bigger difference in their communities,” Holan stated.
The 2024 GROW grant is part of the $12 million Global Fact-Check Fund, supported by Google and YouTube to promote fact-checking initiatives globally and mitigate the impact of misinformation.
The fund distributes grants annually through three phases: BUILD, GROW, and ENGAGE. GROW is designed to help organisations expand their fact-checking operations, while ENGAGE 2024 focuses on encouraging collaboration and increasing public involvement.
Each grant recipient has 12 months to complete their projects, with progress reports required at the six-month point.
Fatabyyano a fact-checking organisation in Jordan intends to further develop TrendCheck.AI, an AI-powered tool for real-time fact-checking and trend analysis in Arabic which would focus on combating misinformation in key topics such as health pandemics, climate change, natural disasters, and elections.
For impact and sustainability, FactCheckZW in Zimbabwe will increase content visibility by translating fact-checks into Shona and Ndebele and offering a WhatsApp chatbot for direct access to verified information.
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While for climate change, Faktoje’s project will produce in-depth investigative articles, photography, and translations to highlight key environmental issues such as deforestation, coastal erosion, and pollution. The initiative will also train journalism students in environmental reporting and fact-checking, with a focus on AI-driven fact-checking methods and gender-sensitive journalism.
Below are the list of grant winners and their projects:
- Fatabyyano – Jordan
Project: TrendCheck.AI: AI Tool for Arabic Misinformation Trends and Narrative Analysis - La Silla Vacía – Colombia
Project: AI to Free Up Time for Hispanic Fact-Checkers - FactCheckZW – Zimbabwe
Project: Towards Sustainable Fact Checking - Project: Kurdish Fact-Checkers Growth
Tech4Peace – Iraq - Verificat – Spain
Project: Diversificat - Aos Fatos – Brazil
Project: Aos Fatos 10+ - Mafindo – Indonesia
Project: Capacity Building for Volunteer-Based Fact-Checkers - Pravda – Poland
Project: Impact Beyond Views: Introducing an Impact Editor Role to Enhance the Reach and Influence of Fact-Checking Articles at Pravda - Press Trust of India – India
Project: Grow By Growing Others - Probe – Philippines
Project: Probe Archives: Safeguarding History on Reel - Myth Detector – Georgia
Project: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Myth Detector’s Website - Taiwan FactCheck Center – TaiwanProject: Combating Misinfo with Fact-Checks in Various Formats
- Zašto ne – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Project: Hacking Audience Bubbles by Empowering Young Content Creators - Newsmeter – India
Project: Expanding Multilingual Fact-Checking: Building Full-Fledged Video Units Across South Indian Languages - Metamorphosis Foundation – North Macedonia
Project: Increasing Fact-Checker Capacities for Video Podcast Production - DELFI – Lithuania
Project: DELFI “Lie Detector” Increasing Content Visibility for Youth Audience - Polígrafo – Portugal
Project: LOCAL: Regional Fact-Checking - Hibrid.info – Kosovo
Project: Empowering Fact-Checking in Kosovo II - Faktoje – Albania
Project: Fact-checking Reporting on Climate Change and Environmental Damage in Albania - Ellinika Hoaxes – Greece
Project: ClimateCheck Grow
Seasoned fact-checker and researcher Fatimah Quadri has written numerous fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy pieces for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org.
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