The Ministry of Culture accompanies local news media through a grant, allowing them to ensure the continuity of their mission.
Presentation of the device
What is the support fund for local social information media?
The support fund for local social information media helps toaccompany financial development of anchored media locally, providing local information and fostering the continuity of the relationship between the inhabitants of a neighbourhood, city or region. The fund takes the form of a call for projects where only media that best meet the eligibility criteria can be assisted.
Definition of a local media
Local social information media are defined as press publications, online press services (press website, newsletter, webtélé, webradio, etc.) or other electronic communication services to the public that:
- regularly renew online content of general interest
- are subject to journalistic treatment
As tools for information, expression, creation and dialogue, local media build trust with citizens and are the best bulwark against “digital populism”. As a vector of information and social cohesion, they help to enhance and develop the image of territories, in particular in priority areas of city policy or rural revitalization areas and allow a wide public to become familiar with journalistic practice, thus contributing to the objective of media literacy.
Creative context
By decree of 26 April 2016, the Ministry of Culture has created a sustainable support fund dedicated to local social information media. These media (publications, press websites, radios, televisions, webTVs, webradios, etc.) are the subject of particular attention and have four main objectives:
- they contribute to the strength of local democratic debate by giving voice to the inhabitants of the territories, urban and rural
- they are a vector of information and a factor of social cohesion
- they help to enhance the image of the territories and make it evolve
- they enable a wide audience to become familiar with journalistic practice, thus contributing to the media education objective
Am I concerned by this approach?
- Associations
- Private companies
All types of structures includingmain object is to publish a local social media: associations, commercial law companies, economic interest groups, etc.
If the structure edits incidentally one or more local social information media, it must be a recognized association or foundation of public utility or affiliated with a federation recognized as such.
Structures are not eligible if
- they have received at least one of the following assistance in the year preceding the application for support of the Social Information and Outreach Media Support Fund:
- they receive at least one of the following:
- Support for pluralism of all online press titles
- Financing of the contribution to public broadcasting
- they are not in compliance with their tax and social obligations
- receive the aid would place them outside the EU aid rules de minimis
Proceeding
The amount requested by the structure is free but must be proportional to the needs of the media, according to the financial forecasts of the publishing structure.
The fund has a budget of €1.8 million in 2022.
The grant takes the form of operating aid. It is awarded annually and by the publishing structure.
The aid shall be paid by decision of the Director-General for Media and Cultural Industries, within the limits of the annual appropriations available and in accordance with the allocation arrangements which he shall determine. The amount of aid paid is determined following the examination of the files, which makes it possible to assess whether the structure and the medium meet satisfactorily all the criteria of the decree.
The decree of 26 April 2016 defines a set of criteria for assessing the eligibility of structures. Among them, the quality of the editorial project and its territorial, social and economic relevance will be decisive.
Aid is allocated in editorial offer function of local social information media. This editorial offer is evaluated against:
- its insertion in a territory and its contribution to the mission of social communication of proximity
- its contribution to integration and the fight against discrimination
- its dimension of media literacy and freedom of expression
- the association of the inhabitants to the project
- its ability to foster exchanges between social and cultural groups and the expression of different socio-cultural currents
- its contribution to local development and environmental protection
The following will also be considered:
- diversification of the publishing structure’s resources and its ability to develop a sustainable economic model over time
- the professional training activities carried out by the publishing structure in favour of its employees or its volunteer members and the consolidation of jobs within it, including jobs of professional journalists
- participation of the publishing structure in collective actions on programmes and training and its ability to form partnerships with other media
- the actions taken by the publishing structure for young people and vulnerable populations
- the use made of any assistance received under this Fund in the year preceding the application for support
- File Open: January 10, 2022
- Application deadline: 02 March 2022, 23:59 (Paris time). No file may be filed or considered after this date.
- Notification of decision to applicants: summer 2022, usually August or September
- To access the online form, click on the "Access form" button at the bottom of the page.
- Log in or create an account, then let yourself be guided.
Example of previously supported projects
With a budget of €1.83 million in 2021, the fund has supported 152 media outlets.
A question?
If you have any questions about the support fund for local social information media, please contact the office of the economic regime of the press:
Media and Cultural Industries Branch (CMIB)
Office for the Economic Regime of the Press
mediasdeproximite@culture.gouv.fr
01 40 15 32 97
182 Rue Saint-Honoré, 75001 Paris
- Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (DRAC): mediasdeproximite.dracara@culture.gouv.fr
- Burgundy-Franche-Comté (DRAC): mediasdeproximite.dracbfc@culture.gouv.fr
- Brittany (DRAC): mediasdeproximite.dracbretagne@culture.gouv.fr
- Centre-Val de Loire (DRAC): mediasdeproximite.draccvdl@culture.gouv.fr ; benoit.lecerf@culture.gouv.fr ; meng.chiv@culture.gouv.fr
- Corsica (DRAC): mediasdeproximite.draccorse@culture.gouv.fr
- Grand-Est (DRAC): mediasdeproximite.dracge@culture.gouv.fr
- Guadeloupe (CAD): mediasdeproximite.dacguadeloupe@culture.gouv.fr
- Guyana (Directorate of Culture, Youth and Sports): mediasdeproximite.dacguyane@culture.gouv.fr
- Hauts-de-France (DRAC): mediasdeproximite.drachdf@culture.gouv.fr
- Île-de-France (DRAC): mediasdeproximite.dracidf@culture.gouv.fr
- The Meeting (DAC): mediasdeproximite.dacoi@culture.gouv.fr
- Martinique (DAC): mediasdeproximite.dacmartinique@culture.gouv.fr
- Mayotte (CAD): dac.mayotte@culture.gouv.fr
- Normandy: mediasdeproximite.dracnormandie@culture.gouv.fr
- Nouvelle-Aquitaine (DRAC): mediasdeproximite.dracna@culture.gouv.fr
- New Caledonia (MAC): michel.richard@nouvelle-caledonie.gouv.fr
- Occitania (DRAC): mediasdeproximite.dracoccitanie@culture.gouv.fr
- Pays de la Loire (DRAC): mediasdeproximite.dracpdl@culture.gouv.fr
- French Polynesia (MAC): mediasdeproximite@polynesie-francaise.pref.gouv.fr
- Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur (DRAC): mediasdeproximite.dracpaca@culture.gouv.fr
- Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon (MAC): rosiane.de-lizarraga@culture.gouv.fr