Can media exist without donor programs: Bohdan Logvynenko on the termination of media funding

On January 25, Ukrainian organizations began to receive messages from the American Agency for International Development (USAID) about the temporary suspension of financial support. Most of the projects funded by USAID in Ukraine are aimed at supporting reforms and the development of a democratic society. Currently, it is about the suspension of funding for 90 days, which is connected with the signing of the corresponding decree by the President of the United States, Donald Trump.

The temporary suspension of USAID funding also affected Ukrainian mass media. In particular, the Chemonics International company, which is one of the largest implementers of USAID programs in Ukraine, implemented projects related to education and media support. After receiving the order on the suspension of funding, these projects were temporarily stopped. However, the specific list of media organizations affected by this decision has not been disclosed. Journalists and experts are actively discussing the consequences of this decision, emphasizing the potential risks for the country’s information space.

The publication Ukrainer, which in recent years has largely depended on USAID funding, was among the first to announce possible consequences for its activities. Its founder is Bohdan Logvynenko emphasized, that without financial support, most projects will be terminated. And this situation concerns not only Ukrainians. Other media that operate thanks to international aid will also face serious challenges.

“Important initiatives of the public sector announce the suspension or curtailment of their activities, while at the same time someone is upset that the “grantoids” will finally get to work. I will not delve into the difference between the world where there are open competitions and grants, and the world supported by Sasha Dubinsky, who very actively promoted messages against the “soroshits” and “grantoids”, and sat down a little for grants from a slightly different side, which are actually not called grants there and are given out at closed competitions, so if you want to stand next to Sasha or Shari, stand.

Doubt whether donor-funded independent media is really independent? Well, for the first two years, Ukrainer existed without any grant funds and could produce ten times less content. We applied for competitions, but lost to those who had more experience. And since 2018, we have implemented dozens of projects with the support of donors, and in these six years we only tried to get into the editorial material once, and it was not because of our desire to “insert” something into the material, but because of the insufficient competence of the team of one of the grant programs. In recent years, donors have turned to us for an expert opinion on the focus of programs, and we have shared our experiences from our own strategy.” – wrote Logvinenko.

The journalist emphasized that donor programs have always been vital for independent media. They provided the possibility of creating quality content that does not depend on the influence of oligarchs, state censorship or advertisers with a dubious reputation. For example, war reports, documentary series or interviews with important public figures were often funded by grants.

Bohdan Logvinenko explains:

“The less money in the sector, the faster the Russians will be able to control our information space. This is what we have already seen with the example of Georgia after the war. When local media are left without funding, they are displaced by cheap but controlled content.”

According to Logvinenko, Ukrainer currently depends on USAID funding for 80-90%. The suspension of donor programs means that most of the products they created will disappear in the next few months. For example, the series of war reports “Units”, which required significant resources to produce, will have to be discontinued. Instead, in order to survive, the team may turn to less costly formats, such as studio interviews.

At the same time, the founder of the publication emphasizes that these changes will not allow maintaining the quality that viewers are used to seeing.

“We will be forced to find advertisers, integrate commercials and focus on quantitative rather than qualitative indicators. This means that the little-known names that we have discovered will give way to more media personalities that advertisers want to see.” Logvinenko notes.

He ponders whether independent media can function without international support. There are several models: funding through the community, attracting advertising, state support or even help from large entrepreneurs. But all these models have their own risks: from the loss of independence to a decrease in the quality of content.

According to Logvinenko, the consequences of the suspension of funding extend far beyond the borders of the media themselves. The vacuum created after the disappearance of independent projects will be quickly filled with oligarchic or pro-Russian content. This is not only a threat to the media sphere, but also to the general development of civil society. The country’s information space may become the same as in Georgia after the Russian invasion, when local media lost support and were supplanted by propaganda resources.

The founder of the publication notes that despite the difficult situation, the Ukrainer team is trying to find ways to continue work. The plans include a return to volunteer work, the search for new advertisers and the creation of an Advisory Board of entrepreneurs who can provide financial support.

At the same time, Logvinenko does not have high hopes that funding from USAID will resume after the 90-day audit introduced by the Trump administration.

“Our only chance is ourselves. If our work is important to people, then we will find a way to continue it, even in the most difficult conditions. If not, we will do something else.” he notes.

In conclusion, Logvinenko urges everyone to think about whether they are ready to support quality content.

“Every hryvnia of aid is important, because independent media are at the forefront of the fight for truth and democracy.” he concludes.