This is a €25 million, five year commitment to support the European University Institute, the European Digital Media Observatoryand the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and help independent projects that focus on boosting critical thinking, expanding fact checking and combating misinformation.
Google notes that there is unmet demand, with fewer than one in 10 Europeans having participated in any form of online media literacy training, according to new research.
The European Media and Information Fund will open for applications shortly. Interested applicants should register here for more information. In the coming weeks, the website will welcome proposals from academics, nonprofits and publishers and others based in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the UK.
Projects will be selected by independent committees featuring academic and industry experts – all decision making will be completely independent from Google.
As the first company to pledge, Google is now inviting other organisations to contribute and support the important work of the Fund.
Google’s commitment builds on previous efforts to provide funding to fact checkers and nonprofits specifically related to the coronavirus pandemic and vaccines.