Media Defence
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Media Defence's work fits best if your organisation has, or wants to set up, a legal aid unit that gives free legal support to journalists, citizen journalists or media outlets facing legal threats over their reporting.
- Employment-related litigation and training of journalists are not funded, so do not apply for either.
- Grants of up to £30,000 go to partner organisations, so size any request within that limit.
- Applications go through calls for specific countries or regions, each with its own conditions, usually a concept note followed by a full application, and the charity accepts applications on a rolling basis, so check the open call for your country or region before you write.
- The charity says it prioritises proposals that respond to demonstrated need on the ground, increase geographical coverage, and are likely to have high impact on media freedom.
Overview
Media Defence is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1128789).
Media Defence provides legal defence and protection to journalists, citizen journalists and independent media across the world, so they can keep reporting on matters of public interest. It began as a programme of work by the Open Society Initiative, and the Open Society Initiative and the Open Society Justice Initiative then decided to set up a new entity to meet demand for media legal defence services. Its annual giving is £354,862, according to its annual report. It funded 18 organisations in 17 countries last year, with grants of up to £30,000 to partner organisations.
What they fund
Priority Areas
Media Defence provides legal defence and protection to journalists, citizen journalists and independent media facing legal threats because of their reporting, so they can continue to report on matters of public interest. Its emergency support can meet legal fees, connect journalists with a lawyer and provide technical legal help. It funds local legal centres and supports organisations seeking to establish legal aid units. Its strategic litigation challenges unjust laws and seeks systemic change that benefits media freedom. Through capacity building, it trains lawyers and strengthens local legal services, combining financial assistance with practical support to partner organisations. Its work is global, with support focused where need is greatest, and aims to provide free, high-quality legal representation to journalists and media outlets.
Themes
- Journalist legal defence
- Strategic litigation
- Local legal capacity
Geographic Focus
The world.
What they don't fund
- Become a partner only: employment-related litigation; training of journalists
How to apply
For funded-partner support, organisations apply through calls for specific countries or regions. Each call sets its own conditions and templates and usually has two stages: a concept note followed by a full application.
Who can apply:
- Funded partners: Organisations that either have, or wish to establish, a legal aid unit to provide free, high-quality legal support to journalists, citizen journalists, and media outlets facing legal threats because of their reporting.
What to send:
- Funded partners: A concept note and a full application.
Application success factors
What the charity says:
- Media Defence prioritises proposals that respond to a demonstrated need on the ground.
- Media Defence prioritises proposals that increase the geographical coverage of its support.
- Media Defence prioritises proposals likely to have a high impact on media freedom.
- When it cannot support every case within its mandate, it prioritises cases where the journalist faces a real risk of imprisonment or the case has potential strategic importance.
Where they fund
Where it says it funds
- International
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to Media Defence.
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 December 2021 | £2,092,657 | £1,991,876 | £516,684 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2021 |
| year to 31 December 2022 | £2,642,048 | £2,289,942 | £1,096,214 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2022 |
| year to 31 December 2023 | £2,866,885 | £2,949,701 | — | Accounts for year to 31 December 2023 |
| year to 31 December 2024 | £3,011,724 | £2,961,680 | — | Accounts for year to 31 December 2024 |
| year to 31 December 2025 | £3,371,113 | £2,548,454 | £354,862 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2025 |
Income vs grants paid
IncomeGrants paid
Total value each financial year
Grants paid stayed within income across the 3 years shown.
- Grants paid, year to 31 December 2021; year to 31 December 2022: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
- Grants paid, year to 31 December 2025: the accounts do not say whether this is grants awarded or paid.
— No grants figure for those years.
Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
- mediadefence.org/what-we-do · read on 30 October 2026
- mediadefence.org/become-a-partner · read on 30 October 2026
- mediadefence.org/about · read on 30 October 2026
- mediadefence.org · read on 30 October 2026
- mediadefence.org/contact · read on 30 October 2026
- mediadefence.org/apply-for-case-support · read on 30 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 31 December 2025)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 30 October 2026.
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At a glance
Applying to Media Defence?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
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Applying to Media Defence?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required