We are announcing two new donor-advised grants that support the work of expert civil society organisations in fields ranging from independent journalism to wildlife conservation. These grants, provided in partnership with the Support Foundation for Civil Society, reflect the priorities of our supporters and enable them to directly contribute to projects that create tangible, long-term impact.
Meet our new grantee partners and learn about their projects:
The Uğur Mumcu Investigative Journalism Foundation (um:ag), founded in 1994 to uphold the legacy of journalist Uğur Mumcu, works to strengthen independent, ethical, and investigative journalism in Türkiye. Through its long-running Investigative Journalism Course, “Lifelong Learning” seminars, annual Week of Justice and Democracy, and diverse cultural programmes, um:ag has become a key hub for critical thinking, media literacy, and civic dialogue. As a member of the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN), the Foundation continues to implement national and international projects that promote press freedom and support new generations of journalists.
With our £10,000 grant, equally funded by our Donor-Advised Grants and the Dr Hülya Karadoğan Fund, um:ag will implement the Journalists Platform: Visual Storytelling and Capacity-Building Project, designed to enhance the digital storytelling skills of independent journalists. The project will produce short explanatory news videos and deliver two online workshops for 50 participants, focusing on reporting, verification, and narrative techniques. By strengthening coordination, communication, and digital production capacity, the initiative will expand the reach of the Journalists Platform and foster greater solidarity and professional growth among journalists working across Türkiye.
The KuzeyDoğa Association, founded in Kars in 2008 by Dr. Çağan H. Şekercioğlu, is dedicated to conserving the rich biodiversity of Northeastern Anatolia. Emerging from the Kars-Iğdır Biological Diversity Project, the organisation conducts long-term scientific research on migratory birds, large carnivores, and terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Alongside its research, KuzeyDoğa engages local communities through nature education programmes, public awareness activities, and the promotion of sustainable nature tourism—fostering a collaborative approach to protecting the region’s unique wildlife.
With our £5,000 grant, Kuzeydoğa will continue its long-term wildlife monitoring efforts in the Sarıkamış–Ardahan–Posof Wildlife Corridor in Eastern Türkiye. The project will support the safe capture and GPS/GSM tracking of one brown bear, alongside the maintenance of 40 camera traps that generate vital ecological data, including at least 30,000 new wildlife records. By mapping species movements and habitat connectivity, the initiative will strengthen the scientific basis for wildlife corridor management and contribute to coexistence between local communities and wildlife.
About our Donor-Advised Grants
Our donor-advised grants allow supporters to recommend organisations or projects for funding, offering a personalised way to contribute to the causes they care about. Each recommendation is reviewed through our standard due-diligence process, ensuring responsible and high-impact use of funds.
You can learn more about how this works on our Donor-Advised Grants page.
We look forward to sharing updates on these projects as they progress. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news and stories from the field.
