2026 Global Grants
2026 Grantees: In their own words
26 August 2026
With all 2026 Global and Trainer Grants now completed, read from the grantees as they reflect on their trips and experiences.
This year, with support from Grace Wyndham Goldie (BBC) Trust, the Public Media Alliance (PMA) provided nine Global Grants and three Trainer Grants. The Global Grant and Trainer Grant scheme has directly benefited over 55 individuals and enabled interactions and exchanges between 21 public service media organisations across 22 countries from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and Oceania.
Global Grants
The Global Grants facilitated nine exchanges of up to £2,000, for a diverse group of projects. This year’s grantees come from a wide range of backgrounds including journalists, producers, content creators, and news staff from Lesotho, Bangladesh, Thailand, Sweden, New Zealand, Fiji, Montserrat, and Taiwan. Their projects tackled key issues for many public media organisations, such as newsroom management, cultural sound archiving, interactive programming, language and audience reach, media production using AI, multilingual election coverage, Indigenous strategy, multi skills for broadcasting, and AI in the newsroom.
Read more about each Global Grant below.
Trainer Grants
The Trainer Grant scheme, now in its third year, continues to grow in reach and impact, benefitting over 30 media organisations since it began. This year, it supported two in-person training projects, an AI workshop, and a large international online workshop with follow-up clinics. When political and safety circumstances affected a planned workshop in Zambia, Grace Wyndham Goldie’s flexibility enabled PMA to reconfigure the funding into two alternative projects while minimising financial impact.
Read more about the Trainer Grants below.
Support from the Grace Wyndham Goldie (BBC) Trust Fund has been instrumental in enabling PMA to champion public service media at a time of growing global challenges. Through these exchanges and training opportunities, participating organisations have strengthened partnerships, developed skills, and been inspired to create new content. PMA is deeply grateful for this vital support.
Look out for applications opening later this year for the 2027 Global Grants and Trainer Grants or sign up to our mailing list to get notified.
Global Grantees 2026
Yuhong Chuang
Position: Producer
Organisation: PTS Taiwan
Activity: Interactive Programming and AI
Destination: ABC International & ABC News
Date: 8-12 June 2026
“This study tour achieved my objectives and brought unexpected macro-level inspirations. After thinking deeply about what we saw, I keep getting new ideas and want to explore even more. This trip was not just a simple visit; it truly made me think deeply about our future strategy.”
Aui’a Vaimaila Leatinu’u
Position: Producer
Organisation: PTS Taiwan
Activity: Interactive Programming and AI
Destination: ABC International & ABC News
Date: 8-12 June 2026
“This study tour achieved my objectives and brought unexpected macro-level inspirations. After thinking deeply about what we saw, I keep getting new ideas and want to explore even more. This trip was not just a simple visit; it truly made me think deeply about our future strategy.”
Josefa Sigavolavola
Position: Multimedia journalist
Organisation: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
Activity: Indigenous youth engagement
Destination: RNZ Pacific, RNZ
Date: 13–24 April 2026
“My initial objective for this visit was to strengthen my understanding of Indigenous youth engagement through media, particularly by learning culturally grounded approaches to Indigenous reporting. While this remained central to my experience, my learning expanded significantly across core areas of journalism practice, editorial standards, and digital storytelling.”
Kajsa Sigvardsson
Position: Reporter
Organisation: Swedish Radio
Activity: Multilingual newsrooms
Destination: Ghana Broadcasting Corporation and Volta Star Radio
Date: 12 – 22 April
“For me, this was a very valuable experience. It was inspiring but also made me reflect on my own work and what we often take for granted. Some things that feel basic at home are not a given everywhere.”
Leonard Wade Junior
Position: Multimedia journalist
Organisation: Radio Montserrat
Activity: Multi-skills in radio
Destination: Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation and Starcom Network Inc, Barbados
Date: 4 – 15 May 2026
“The opportunity allowed me to learn from experienced professionals, gain practical industry exposure, and develop ideas and techniques that I can apply to my future work in broadcasting…Overall, the experience fostered professionalism, adaptability, and critical thinking, equipping me with practical skills and confidence for my future career in the industry.”
Makabo Celinah Leteketa
Position: Head of News & Current Affairs
Organisation: Lesotho National Broadcasting Services
Activity: Newsrooms in Digital Era
Destination: Namibian Broadcasting Corporation
Date: 2 – 16 May
“This visit ignited a will to have a sister broadcast that we can have co-productions and can have exchange programs for the employees. I am sure in future when something that interests NBC happens in Lesotho I will just get a call to help and vice versa.”
Md. Iqbal Hossain
Position: Producer (News)
Organisation: Bangladesh Television
Activity: AI and Media Production
Destination: Mediacorp, Singapore
Date: 24 April – 3 May 2026
“This has strengthened my understanding of how AI can be effectively used to improve efficiency, creativity, and credibility in media organisations while also addressing the growing challenges of misinformation and false content.”
Sk. Mohabul Hossain Razib
Position: Deputy Regional Director
Organisation: Bangladesh Betar
Activity: Exploring Digitization and Archive Techniques
Destination: Radio Television Malaysia
Date: 5 – 9 May 2026
“The visit was very inspiring and provided a practical understanding of how public service broadcasters are evolving by the use of technological innovation while preserving decades old contents. The experience and the networking I gained from RTM will directly help my future work at Bangladesh Betar.”
Thoranin Thepwong
Position: Journalist & Content Creator
Organisation: Thai PBS World
Activity: Media innovation, AI Integration and Fact-checking
Destination: ABC International, Australia
Date: 6 – 14 June 2026
“This experience was profoundly enriching; it not only enhanced my understanding of automated workflows and modern news gathering but also offered a powerful cross-cultural exchange on how public broadcasters can remain resilient, unified, and relevant in a fragmented media landscape.”
Trainer Grants 2026
Strengthening Investigative Journalism skills in Belize
Location: Belize City, Belize
Date: 1–2 May 2026
Recipients: Greater Belize Media
“The Trainer Grant allows knowledge to be shared and multiplied across newsrooms, building long-term institutional strength. With PMA support, Greater Belize Media’s News 5 is better equipped to produce impactful investigations, rebuild public trust, and mentor the next generation of reporters.” – Isani Cayetano, News Editor, Greater Belize Media
Attendees: 17 reporters and content staff
Trainer: Cecil Rosner, IJF and CBC/Radio-Canada
World Press Freedom Day Conference
Location: Lusaka, Zambia
Date: 4–5 May 2026
Recipients: Namibian Broadcasting Corporation and Eswatini ICT
“The conference provided me with valuable insights into the current state of global media freedom and created platform to network and exchange ideas with media industry players across the world.” – Luqman Cloete, Senior Reporter, NBC
Attendees: Senior Reporter Luqman Cloete; Senior Information Officer Bongani Mkhaliphi
Trainer: Various
Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan training
Location: Online
Date: 3 June – 17 July 2026
Recipients: Greater Belize Media, CBC/Radio-Canada, NBC, Eswatini ICT, Radio Cayman, FBC, GBC, LNBS, TV6 TNT, ZNBC, SABC
“Disaster Response Plan training equips us as public service media personnel with the knowledge and skills to respond quickly and report effectively when emergencies strike. It improves coordination with emergency agencies, supports timely dissemination of accurate, life-saving information, and strengthens staff safety, operational continuity and public trust.” – Peter Agengre, News Correspondent, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation
Attendees: 45 media workers
Trainer: Anthony Frangi – Head of ABC’s Capital City Network
Addressing AI-Generated Content in Public Service Media
Location: Online
Date: 16–17 July 2026
Recipients: Radio Turks and Caicos
“This was particularly an opportunity for me, as deputy director to observe how comfortable staff were with the various tools and garner their feedback for the purpose of feeding into future organisational policy decisions. The news team members and sales & marketing team, as expected, found the training highly beneficial and intend to practice using some of the tools, while still remaining sceptical of others.” – Damian Wilson, Deputy Director Radio T&C
Attendees: 10 staff
Trainer: Paul McNally – Founder Director of Develop AI
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