🔎 What are press subsidies?
A few definitional elements
There are a number of sources of financing for media. Press aid constitutes a significant part of it. France is one of the few countries to offer this type of support. Their existence is motivated by one of the State's objectives, which is to participate in strengthening and fostering new players within the media ecosystem in order to promote its pluralism. Press aid is defined as a set of direct public subsidies delivered by the State through the Ministry of Culture.
It typically takes a newly created media outlet difficult to achieve economic equilibrium before four years. Consequently, part of press aid is specifically directed toward projects in their early stages, to enable them to diversify and strengthen their economic models, which are often still fragile. Some of these aids are provided to media outlets that have been established for longer and are developing a new format, product, or editorial project. Finally, there are material aids linked to distribution or paper.
In 2022, the Ministry of Culture distributed a total of 110.4 million euros in direct aid, of which 28 million euros were under the six pluralism support measures, 51 million euros for transport and distribution support and 31.4 million euros for investment support.
Press subsidies are complemented by indirect support (tax relief measures). There are also other entities and institutions that provide aid for the cultural sector (publishing and video in particular) allowing media with matching formats to find financial assistance.
Occasional support within a broader economic model
Press subsidies are interesting for developing a media outlet and making it sustainable. However, it is essential not to center your entire business model, or a major part of it, on this type of funding in order to avoid becoming dependent on it and constraining your project to the requirements of grant applications.
It should also be noted that press aid can never be awarded to cover the entirety of a project's costs. It is preferable to consider such aid as an accelerator or stabilizer rather than as an essential component of the project.
A varied, viable, and sound economic model is necessary. The decision to seek public assistance must therefore be carefully considered.
Which devices?
- To track your financial situation month after month, prepare a business plan to forecast your activity and be able to respond if you need to apply for a loan or subsidy, you have Angel or Bpifrance which offer solutions to generate a business plan for example, and some services and institutions provide free cash flow plan templates !
- The Independent Online News Press Union (Spiil) shares numerous tips and resources with its members regarding the preparation of CPPAP accreditation applications or press aid requests. Your membership with Spiil is among the most worthwhile investments you can make, as you will find the resources and human support necessary for your day-to-day work as a media leader.
🎯 Press subsidies, for whom?
To be eligible to receive one of these benefits, you must meet a certain number of conditions – though these may vary depending on the benefit you are applying for.
- You must be established as a legal entity;
- You are required to provide content recognized as informational (reliable, verified) that contributes to keeping citizens well-informed;
- You must respect republican, democratic and constitutional values;
- Your information production must be at least partly in French or in a regional language used in French territory.
Other criteria may also be taken into account:
- The type of press (regional and local, overseas, national, daily, etc);
- The type of medium (digital, paper) ;
- The product formats (reporting for example) ;
- The media's ability to create diversity, parity, and representativeness;
- The ability to promote French culture and thought abroad ;
- The ability to participate in Europe and the dissemination of European values;
- The project's environmental responsibility and sustainability.
Eligibility criteria have recently become stricter, requiring, to be eligible for part of the aid, the employment of professional journalists. It is also generally necessary to be recognized by the CPPAP (Commission paritaire des publications et agences de presse).
📋 Overview of available assistance
There are various grants you can apply for to finance your development and/or investments, at the local, national or international level.
Grant for emerging news media companies
- Organization – Ministry of Culture
- For whom? Young press companies less than three years old
- Aid amount – from €0 to €50,000
Strategic Fund for Press Development (SFPD)
- Organization – Ministry of Culture
- For whom? Publishing companies with one or more specific projects
- Aid amount – up to €1.5 million
Fund to Support Local Social Information Media (FSMISP)
- Organization – Ministry of Culture
- For whom? Media with a strong local presence (region, city)
- Grant amount – up to €2 million
Support for media pluralism through digital press services (SPTEL)
- Organization – Ministry of Culture
- For whom? Online media with a strong local presence (region, city)
- Grant amount – up to €2 million
Annual magazine subsidy
- Organization – National Center for the Book (CNL)
- Who is it for? Magazine publishers of modest size with more than one year of activity
- Amount of aid – up to 50,000 euros depending on budget
Video Creator Fund for the Internet
- Organization – Centre National du Cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC Talent)
- For whom? Video creators
- Grant amount – up to 50,000 euros, depending on the number of subscribers
Multimedia and Digital Artistic Creation Scheme (DICRéAM)
- Organization – Centre National du Cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC Talent)
- For whom? Video and digital media
- Assistance amount – average of €8,000
Cross-sectoral European calls for projects (Defending Media Freedom and Pluralism, Media Literacy, Journalism Partnerships…)
- Organization – European Commission. In France, the Relais Culture Europe supports projects that wish to receive assistance in preparing these applications
- For whom? Media organizations and media ecosystem professionals developing activities in the European field and in partnership with other European professionals (partnerships, co-productions, networking, etc)
- Aid amount – a total of €2.44 billion distributed across the various programmes for the 2021-2027 period.
To learn more about the conditions for obtaining these grants and the processes to follow, visit the websites of the issuing organizations. We do not aim for exhaustiveness, as these grants are subject to frequent changes. Additionally, certain private funding from endowment funds or foundations is often very useful in launching a project. Notably, we can mention the Fund for a Free Press (FPL), which finances independent media through an annual call for projects.
🧐 Questions to ask yourself
Do I have all the administrative, accounting, and legal documents necessary to file my application?
Identifying your legal status (association, SAS, SME), having it validated, and being able to explain your choice are essential steps to understanding which grants you are eligible for.
You must also have available all information that may be requested as part of a file submission: accounting documents, budget forecast, time in business and date of creation of your business or association, SIRET number, CPPAP number…
Have I identified a compelling business model for my media?
A grant cannot be your sole source of income. It is essential that you have built a viable business model, with multiple revenue streams, enabling you to plan ahead and justify your grant request. It should be a complement, an accelerator, but not a pillar of your economic operations. In short, you must be able to survive without the grant you are requesting; even if this may seem paradoxical.
Why ask for help?
First, you must identify the reasons why you are requesting assistance. Is it to support the fixed costs of your media outlet, an innovation project or major overhaul of your project, or an opportunity you simply wish to seize because you meet the eligibility criteria?
This preliminary thinking will help you identify the arguments to present to those who will review your application in order to convince them to award you this assistance.
Don't forget that competition for aid applications can be fierce. You'll need to be rigorous, precise, convincing, and highlight what makes your project unique.
And in Country?
Since its creation in 2020, Pays magazine, co-founded by Médianes, has received two public press subsidies. First, in 2022 we applied for an emerging press business grant, not for the biannual magazine, but to develop a monthly newsletter tracking local news through the lens of national issues. This grant allows the magazine to fund this activity and strengthen its business model. Then, in 2023, the magazine began receiving support from the Centre National du Livre's magazine funding program.
At Médianes, we have supported several dozen applications for public or private grants, ensuring we stayed as close as possible to the needs and ideas of the projects.
To go further
- Agency, merchandise, publishing… This practical guide provides an overview and offers inspiration to help you diversify your income.
- How to define your business model? This practical guide reviews existing business models focused on audiences to help you define yours.
- List of grants and funds by theme on the government website.
- Press subsidies: where to start? Baptiste Thevelein's advice.
About our book
This practical guide is from our book Creating a Media, available for purchase on our online store. Creating a Media is a practical manual for those who wish to launch an independent and committed media outlet. Published on April 2, 2024 by Médianes, a non-profit studio and media, under the direction of Marine Doux and Baptiste Thevelein.
Editorial, marketing, financing… the book Creating a Media Outlet makes accessible the resources needed for creating and developing a media outlet. It provides keys to understanding a complex media ecosystem where threats and opportunities are multiplying, as well as concrete advice for successfully navigating it as a media founder. It gives you access to a set of practical resources that will allow you, throughout the chapters, to work concretely on developing your project. To make the methods delivered in the book concrete and to benefit from the experience of those who have gone through it, we also went to meet founders of independent media outlets to get their feedback.
Before leaving
🛠 Have you finished reading and completing this form? We'd love to hear from you! Got a question or comment on your mind? Drop us a line at [email protected]. Thanks for your help, the Médianes team.
