2SER, Ethnic Broadcasting Association Queensland t/a Radio 4EB, First Nations Media Australia and the NEMBC are among newsrooms and independent journalists across Australia to receive AU$5 million from the Facebook Australian News Fund.

 The Walkley Foundation announced $5 million in funding for 54 news organisations and independent journalists across Australia as part of a $15 million, three-year investment into the most promising public interest journalism and digital newsroom projects.

The program prioritises applicants with digital publications in regional areas and those who cater more directly for Indigenous communities, women and other under-served audiences.

Funding from the Facebook Australian News Fund is split into the $2.5 million Public Interest Journalism Fund and the $2.5 million Newsroom Sustainability Fund, which will support newsrooms and journalists to create public interest journalism, to harness the power of technology to engage their audiences and to build sustainable news businesses.

The Public Interest Journalism Fund offers funding of up to $120,000 to small, regional publishers and independent journalists to fund news projects of public interest value and to encourage media diversity.

The Newsroom Sustainability Fund offers funding of up to $250,000 for regional newsrooms and digital-first publications for innovative and revenue-generating projects, such as subscription products, digital technology and broadcast studio equipment.

Funding will go directly towards a range of innovative projects, including news apps that aggregate content from radio and local newspapers, membership models where subscribers inform the editorial agenda, and hyperlocal community news forums.