CFI

What CFI does

CFI (Canal France International, operating as Agence Française de Développement Médias) is a French public development agency founded in 1989 and headquartered in Issy-les-Moulineaux. It operates as an official operator of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and as a subsidiary of France Médias Monde, the French public media group. CFI's mission is to support independent media and journalism worldwide through training programs, grants to media organizations, and consortium-led projects across more than 50 countries spanning Africa, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Europe (Western Balkans), Latin America, and Central Asia. Programs focus on press freedom, gender equality in media, environmental journalism, support for exiled journalists, and counter-disinformation. The agency is governed under French association law (loi du 1er juillet 1905) and has between 51 and 100 employees.

CFI's core deliverables are media development projects rather than software products. Named offerings include the Voix en Exil exile-incubation program, Terra Asia (environmental journalism in Asia-Pacific), Media Parity and À voix égales (gender equality), AGILE (EU-funded independent journalism in restrictive environments), MediAOS, SA7 (fact-checking in the Arab world), Investigation Liban, Digitalize Youth, and the '24h dans une rédaction' training resource (96 educational worksheets). Technology infrastructure consists of a Drupal-based institutional website (cfi.fr), an annual-report subdomain (ra-cfi.fr), the AC CFI online applications platform (ac.cfi.fr) for calls for tenders and applications, and hosting by ALTER Way. GDPR-compliant privacy frameworks are in place.

CFI's revenue model is institutional grant funding rather than commercial sales. The agency does not charge beneficiaries for its programs; instead, it receives funding from the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the French Development Agency (AFD), and the European Union (including via the Foreign Policy Instrument), and disburses these funds through grants to media organizations and through public procurement contracts (calls for tenders published on the PLACE platform for engagements above €40,000). Delivery is executed via consortium partnerships with organizations such as RSF, Internews, ARTICLE 19, Fojo Media Institute, Expertise France, Fondation Hirondelle, MFWA, SINGA, and Equipop. The leadership team is led by CEO Emmanuelle Talon.

Name

CFI

Legal name

CFI - Association française régie par la loi du 1er juillet 1905

Website

https://cfi.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CFI is a French public development agency and subsidiary of France Médias Monde that supports independent media and journalism worldwide through grants, training, and consortium projects across 50+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Media Development Services

NAICS

International Affairs (928120), International Affairs (92812)

SIC

International Affairs (9721), Foreign Governments (8888)

akta.pro primary industry

Development Cooperation & Foreign Aid Administration (BPAIAIAG)

Keywords

• Media development
• Journalism training
• Press freedom
• Fact-checking training
• Media capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Issy-les-moulineaux

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Government Funding: CFI operates as a French public agency funded primarily by government institutions including the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the French Development Agency (AFD), and the European Union. Project funding is allocated through international development budgets for media development initiatives.
2. Public Procurement Contracts: CFI issues calls for tenders for works, services, and supplies contracts exceeding €40,000 through the French public procurement platform (PLACE), selecting vendors for specific project deliverables.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CFI is a French public development agency that funds and implements international media development projects across 50+ countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Europe, Latin America, and Central Asia. It delivers journalism training, fact-checking methodology transfer, grants to media organizations, incubation for exiled journalists, and capacity-building programs in partnership with civil society organizations. CFI operates through project cycles funded by the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the French Development Agency (AFD), and the European Union, distributing funds via calls for tenders and calls for applications.

Product overview

CFI (Agence Française de Développement Médias) is a French public agency that supports media development worldwide in partnership with civil society. CFI's offerings consist primarily of media development projects, training programs, fellowship opportunities, and institutional resources rather than traditional software products. Key offerings include: media development projects addressing journalism training, fact-checking, gender equality in media, environmental journalism, and support for exiled journalists; the AC CFI platform for calls for applications; training resources such as '24h dans une rédaction' (journalism worksheets); expert advisory services; and newsletter subscriptions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AC CFI Platform Digital platform for submitting applications to CFI's calls for applications, tenders, and project opportunities worldwide, serving media organizations, journalists, and service providers globally.
• Voix en Exil (Voices in Exile) Program supporting and accompanying exiled journalists and media outlets in France, providing incubation, training in AI and emerging technologies, and psychosocial support. The project runs through March 2027 with 4 cohorts of approximately 15 journalists/media each.
• Terra Asia Sustainable future project in Asia-Pacific (Fiji, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines) focused on environmental journalism and tools against environmental fake news using AI, fact-checking, and OSINT.
• Media Parity Project promoting gender equality in media across Southern Africa (Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia), addressing workplace harassment and women's leadership. Engaged 98 journalists and 22 media outlets producing 300 contents.
• Digitalise Youth Project to raise awareness among young people and develop their skills against online disinformation across multiple countries.
• AGILE EU-funded project supporting independent journalism in countries where media freedom is under attack, focusing on AI and emerging technologies to strengthen at-risk independent media serving marginalized communities in Central Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
• 24h dans une rédaction Educational resource providing 96 worksheets on journalism topics for training purposes, covering newsroom practices and journalism fundamentals.
• MediAOS Project supporting media in Benin, Togo, and Chad to produce and disseminate content enabling young people, especially girls and women, to access information and civic education spaces. Funded by AFD.
• À voix égales (Equal Voices) Project to combat gender inequalities and stereotypes in media in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana (March 2023 - February 2025), promoting better representation of women in media practices. Mentored 56 individuals including 8 media directors and 32 journalists plus 16 women journalists.
• Investigation Liban Support for investigative journalism in Lebanon to strengthen transparency of public institutions and anti-corruption efforts. Funded by EU and implemented with Expertise France.
• SA7 Project accelerating the integration of fact-checking in the Arab world through innovative tools and integration in newsrooms and universities.
• CFI Newsletter Newsletter providing regular updates on CFI's recent news and activities in media development.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trained journalists across 50+ countries in media development programs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Joint implementation partner for the À voix égales project in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. MFWA leads capacity building components for journalists and women's empowerment in West African media.
• France Médias MondecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFI is a subsidiary company (entreprise du groupe) of France Médias Monde, the French public media group. France Médias Monde provides corporate governance, shared services, and strategic alignment with French international media objectives.
• Reporters sans frontières (RSF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRSF is a consortium partner in the Voix en Exil project supporting journalists in exile, providing expertise in press freedom advocacy and journalist protection.
• SINGAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSINGA partners with CFI in the Voix en Exil project to support exiled journalists in France, contributing to making France a major destination for media professionals in exile.
• Maison des journalistes (MDJ)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMDJ provides accommodation and support services for journalists in exile in Paris as part of the Voix en Exil consortium.
• Fondation HirondellemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in MediAOS project (Benin, Togo, Chad) alongside AFD and Equipop. Specializes in media for peace and human dignity.
• EquipopmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomen's rights organization partnering with CFI on MediAOS project to promote gender equality in media content and youth access to information in Benin, Togo, and Chad.
• InternewsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational media development organization partnering in AGILE project (EU-funded) for support to independent journalism in contexts where media freedom is under attack, spanning Central Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Expertise FrancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench international technical expertise agency partnering with CFI on projects including Investigation Lebanon (funded by EU) and Empowering Palestinian and Israeli Civil Societies and Media.
• ARTICLE 19minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational freedom of expression organization part of AGILE consortium focusing on legal frameworks for media freedom.
• Fojo Media InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish media development institute partnering in AGILE consortium for journalism training and capacity building.
• Thomson MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based media development organization in AGILE consortium providing technical expertise.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Internews: Global media development NGO partnering with CFI on the EU-funded AGILE project. Both organizations fund and implement journalism training, independent media support, and information resilience programs across the same geographies using similar consortium-based delivery models.
• Fojo Media Institute: Swedish media development institute partnering with CFI in the AGILE consortium. Both deliver journalism training, capacity building, and editorial support in developing and transitional countries, often co-implementing through shared donor projects.
• International Media Support (IMS): Denmark-based media development organization supporting independent media in conflict-affected and developing countries. Competes with CFI for the same Nordic, EU, and bilateral donor envelopes across similar thematic areas.
• Fondation Hirondelle: Swiss-based media development foundation partnering with CFI on MediAOS. Both run journalism training and independent media support projects in fragile and conflict-affected countries with overlapping thematic priorities on media for peace and human dignity.
• Reporters sans frontières (RSF): International press freedom organization partnering with CFI on the Voix en Exil project. Both focus on press freedom advocacy, journalist protection, and support for media in hostile environments, often co-implementing with overlapping donor funding.
• Free Press Unlimited: Dutch media development organization that funds independent journalism in restrictive environments globally. Operates with a similar donor-funded, project-based model targeting press freedom and journalist safety in many of the same countries as CFI.
• Expertise France: French international technical cooperation agency partnering with CFI on projects such as Investigation Lebanon and Empowering Palestinian and Israeli Civil Societies. Sister French public agency with similar project-based, government-funded delivery model.
• ARTICLE 19: International freedom of expression organization partnering with CFI in the AGILE consortium on legal frameworks for media freedom. Both work to strengthen independent media and freedom of expression, often funded by similar sovereign donors in overlapping geographies.

Peers

• BBC Media Action: BBC's international development charity delivering media development and communication-for-development programming. Closest peer to CFI in terms of broadcaster-parent structure, donor base (DFID/FCDO), and project-based delivery in developing countries.

Broad incumbents

• Deutsche Welle Akademie: Capacity-building arm of German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle. Comparable to CFI as a public broadcaster-affiliated media development actor delivering journalism training and partner programs, though with a broader European policy framing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CFImedias
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/cfitvparis
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/CFImedias/107564825946579
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cfi-agence-fran%C3%A7aise-de-coop%C3%A9ration-m%C3%A9dias
• Instagraminstagram.com/cfimedias

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CFI