Revenue Streams & Finance

Mensagem wouldn’t exist without the initial and ongoing major donation, which enabled them to establish high-quality journalistic products with a small team of senior journalists from the very start. However, Carvalho and her team have also identified and capitalized on additional opportunities to generate revenue and run various projects.

• Grants: Over the years, a number of projects have been financed through grants including from organisations like the European Journalism Fund (EU funding), ICFJ, IPI, Gulbenkian Foundation, EEA, Active Ctizens Fund as well as Google and Facebook. (Full list here)

• Individual donations (reader-revenue): People can support Mensagem with recurring or one-off donations, which are promoted through the website, though not aggressively pushed.

• Sponsorships: Some projects have attracted support from local businesses. For example, the Port of Lisbon became a funding partner to develop additional ways to tell the story of a World War II refugee, a story discovered by a Mensagem reporter. Together with an international artist, they created a mural, developed an exhibition, and turned the story into a book. This partnership was a great match for the Port of Lisbon, as it was a key location in the story.