# Funding landscape - report Michael Randall, a media development consultant and expert, presented some of the initial findings from a report on the ['Funding Landscape for Media Development Actors in Lebanon'.](https://www.skeyesmedia.org/en/News/Reports/15-02-2022/9874) {% embed url="" %} The report presented at the meeting was a work in progress, it was revised on the basis of the discussions at the December 2021 coordination meeting and may be subject to further revisions and updates. {% hint style="info" %} The report 'Funding Landscape for Media Development Actors in Lebanon' is available [here](https://www.skeyesmedia.org/en/News/Reports/15-02-2022/9874). If you have any relevant information or illustrations you would like to share to be included in the report please contact us at: . {% endhint %} **Methodology:** A series of interviews, and desk research and analysis of the most recent calls for proposals published in the Lebanese media development sector, and across the wider region as well. **Themes in the calls of proposals analysed:** Strong emphasis on viability, on fact-checking and coalition building, and on the need to increase the public’s trust. ## Postive trends {% hint style="success" %} Donors have started in recent times to conduct **needs assessments**, to quote the findings of those assessments in terms of reference, and to to act upon them {% endhint %} {% hint style="success" %} There is evidence of efforts to **minimise the administrative burden** on grantees {% endhint %} {% hint style="success" %} Local organisations are looking for an equal partnership with their international counterparts. The commitment of international partners such as DW Akademie and International Media Support (IMS), which have established a presence in country and have **long term relationships with local partners** is encouraging. {% endhint %} {% hint style="success" %} European Commission, certainly for larger programmes, will hold **information sessions and respond to requests for clarifications** {% endhint %} ## What still needs improvement ### Clarity of terms in the terms of reference proposals: {% hint style="warning" %} Terms of reference still tend to blur the distinction between media, professional journalists and civil society activists. {% endhint %} ### Lack of focus and realism {% hint style="warning" %} Some programmes (espeically larger ones) present a wish list of activities, and encourage applicants to try to address them all of the issues related to media development. This leads to projects being less effective due to their lack of focus. {% endhint %} ### Donor feedback {% hint style="warning" %} Few donors provide detailed feedback on unsuccessful applications, which provokes frustration and impedes the ability of local actors to succesfully apply for grants. {% endhint %} ### Equity and access {% hint style="warning" %} The extent to which the calls proposals are open to a broad base of different applicants was a cause for concern for many organisations. The introduction of sub granting programmes has somewhat improved that situation, allowing small media outlets and NGOs to apply for grants in a way that they had fewer opportunities to do before. However, sub-granting processes tend to favour applicants with a track record and the skills to apply for the funding. {% endhint %} ### Donor to donor coordination {% hint style="warning" %} There is no obvious evidence of donor to donor coordination. {% endhint %} ## Recommendations {% hint style="success" %} **Urgently improve donor to donor development coordination:** It is imperative that donors periodically apportion responsibilities and tasks (who should support what and to what extent) to avoid duplication and/or leaving over areas under funded. {% endhint %} {% hint style="success" %} **Improve accessibility and enaggement in grant-application processes and design:** * Simplify language used in granting programmes. * Bottom-up processes and practises have proven to be the most effective method to assess needs and design programmes. Positive developments in this area should be accelerated {% endhint %} {% hint style="success" %} **Iterative monitoring and evaluation:** Allow implementing agencies to put greater emphasis on beneficiary feedback and by put in place mechanisms to ensure that projects can be recalibrated based on this feedback. {% endhint %} > “And that's something that doesn't happen very often enough - both with smaller organisations and with larger ones - the need to see projects as an evolutionary process, the need to revisit impact and to have an open and frank discussion with donors about what is working and what's not. And I think there's no shame in admitting that activities did not go as planned. “ {% hint style="success" %} **Coordination and knowledge sharing:** Use the Joint Coordination Mechanism to gather knowledge and inisghts gathered from monitoring and evaluation efforts and play a significant role in the effective implementation and coordination of projects. {% endhint %} {% hint style="success" %} **Aspirational long term development strategies:** To what extent is it possible to align donors and implementing agencies with local stakeholders in government and civil society around a strategy addresses the main development priorities and identifies what measures could reasonably be taken to address them? {% endhint %} --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. 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