The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation

What The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation does

The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation is a Malta-registered non-profit organization established in 2018 by the family of assassinated investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, headquartered at 56 Melita Street, Valletta. Its mission is to pursue justice for her 2017 car-bomb assassination and to advance investigative journalism and press freedom in Malta and internationally. The Foundation pursues this through four interconnected programs: a Justice Advocacy Programme encompassing criminal proceedings, human rights cases, defense against vexatious libel suits, and a public inquiry campaign; the Malta Investigative Journalism Centre (MIJC), a collaborative journalism infrastructure providing pooled technology, data, and training for journalists; the Daphne Project, an international consortium coordinated with Forbidden Stories continuing her unfinished investigations; and the Passport Papers investigation, a cross-border expose of Malta's golden passport scheme. It also continues to publish Taste & Flair magazine, founded by Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2014.

The Foundation operates on a non-profit revenue model funded entirely by donations and grants. Funding sources include small-dollar individual donations via credit card, bank transfer, PayPal, and the Benevity workplace giving platform, plus institutional grants from the Digital Defenders Partnership, the Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU) fund, and Free Press Unlimited. The organization received Malta tax-exempt status in June 2021, channeling 100% of inflows to its mission. Its core staff of approximately 6-8 includes investigative journalists, legal officers, a head of media relations, and a COO, supplemented by project-specific volunteers, freelance designers, and external legal counsel from BCGL Advocates and Doughty Street Chambers.

The Foundation's go-to-market is community-led advocacy: it engages civil society, international bodies (UN, European Parliament, Council of Europe), and a network of global press-freedom organizations (RSF, PEN International, IPI, EFJ) to amplify its mission. Its principal customer segments are journalism and press-freedom advocates, investigative journalists, and civil-society democratic-reform advocates. The Foundation does not sell products or services in the commercial sense; its "outputs" are distributed via collaborative media partnerships, its own website, and advocacy campaigns targeting governments and institutions.

Name

The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation

Legal name

The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation

Website

https://daphne.foundation

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation is a Malta-based non-profit that pursues justice for the 2017 assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and advances press freedom through legal advocacy, investigative journalism collaborations, and international campaigns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Press Freedom Advocacy

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights Monitoring, Documentation & Advocacy (BPADAGAK), Government & Public Policy Publishing (Regulations, Gazettes, Legislative Tracking) (MPAJACAI)

Keywords

• Investigative journalism
• Press freedom advocacy
• Anti-corruption campaign
• Legal advocacy services
• Collaborative journalism projects

Headquarters

HQ city

Valletta

HQ country

Malta

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: The Foundation operates as a non-profit organization funded primarily through donations and grants. It accepts donations via credit card, bank transfer, PayPal, and through the Benevity workplace giving platform. Funding has been received from Digital Defenders Partnership, Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU) fund, and Free Press Unlimited.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation pursues justice for the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia and advances investigative journalism and press freedom. It runs the Malta Investigative Journalism Centre (MIJC), coordinates the Daphne Project with Forbidden Stories, conducts collaborative investigations (such as the Passport Papers), and pursues legal advocacy including human rights cases, criminal justice proceedings, defence against vexatious libel suits, and a public inquiry campaign.

Product overview

The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation operates as a non-profit justice and journalism organization rather than a traditional product company. Its portfolio consists of four interconnected initiatives: the Malta Investigative Journalism Centre (MIJC) providing collaborative journalism infrastructure and training for journalists; The Daphne Project, an international consortium led by Forbidden Stories that continues Daphne's investigations; the Passport Papers Investigation, a major collaborative investigation exposing Malta's golden passport scheme conducted with eight media partners; and the Justice Advocacy Programme encompassing legal cases, public inquiry campaigns, and human rights work. The Foundation also continues publishing Taste & Flair magazine. These offerings work together to advance the Foundation's dual mission of securing justice for Daphne's assassination and protecting press freedom through investigative journalism.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Malta Investigative Journalism Centre (MIJC): An investigative journalism centre launched by the Foundation to facilitate collaborative journalism investigations in Malta and support new journalists.
• Daphne Project

Products and services

• Malta Investigative Journalism Centre (MIJC)

Quantifiable outcome

• Successful campaign led to establishment of public inquiry in December 2019
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Forbidden StoriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2017Forbidden Stories led the Daphne Project, coordinating 45 journalists from 18 major news organisations to continue Daphne's investigations. The project is dedicated to continuing the work of journalists who have been threatened or murdered. The Foundation encourages and promotes the project's work, though it operates completely independently financially and editorially.
• The GuardiancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative media partner in the Daphne Project and Passport Papers investigation.
• Lovin MaltacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative media partner in the Passport Papers investigation.
• Malta TodaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative media partner in the Passport Papers investigation.
• The Malta IndependentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative media partner in the Passport Papers investigation.
• Times of MaltacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative media partner in the Passport Papers investigation.
• The ShiftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative media partner in the Passport Papers investigation.
• Dossier CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative media partner in the Passport Papers investigation.
• BenevityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorkplace giving platform allowing employees to donate to the Foundation through their employer's charity aggregation program.
• Bhatt Murphy SolicitorscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvided legal counsel for the call for an independent public inquiry. Tony Murphy instructed barristers at Doughty Street Chambers.
• Doughty Street ChamberscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBarristers Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC, Jonathan Price, and Jennifer Robinson instructed to provide legal advice on public inquiry and ECHR obligations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Reporters Without Borders: Paris-based international NGO defending press freedom and supporting journalists, including via legal aid and emergency response. Closely comparable mission and partner-network overlap with the Daphne Foundation.
• Committee to Protect Journalists: US-based non-profit that advocates for press freedom worldwide and tracks journalist killings. Directly comparable mission to the Daphne Foundation, though operates at global scale rather than Malta-focused.
• Forbidden Stories: Paris-based consortium that continues the work of journalists who have been threatened or killed. The Daphne Project is led by Forbidden Stories in partnership with the Foundation, making it both partner and closest functional peer.
• OCCRP: Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project runs cross-border investigative journalism on corruption and organized crime. A media partner on the Passport Papers investigation and former employer of Foundation staff.
• PEN International: Global writers' organization that defends freedom of expression and persecuted writers. Comparable advocacy mission and listed as part of the Foundation's international press freedom network.
• International Consortium of Investigative Journalists: Global network of investigative reporters coordinating cross-border investigations. Matthew Caruana Galizia worked there before founding the Foundation; the MIJC and Daphne Project follow a similar collaborative model.
• The Bureau of Investigative Journalism: London-based non-profit investigative journalism outfit producing cross-border investigations on accountability and corruption. Comparable in mission, funding model (grants/donations), and collaborative structure.
• International Women's Media Foundation: US-based non-profit supporting women journalists worldwide with safety, training, and advocacy. Comparable mission on press freedom and journalist safety, with shared donor audiences.

Broad incumbents

• Transparency International: Global anti-corruption NGO. The Foundation won Transparency International's Anti-Corruption Award (posthumously, for Daphne) and pursues overlapping anti-corruption and beneficial ownership transparency objectives.

Emerging players

• Bellingcat: Netherlands-based open-source investigative journalism outlet with overlapping accountability-driven mission and partnership-style distribution. Comparable in journalistic technique, though more OSINT-led.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DaphneCaruanaGaliziaFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-daphne-caruana-galizia-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

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 The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation