Africa No Filter Foundation

Africa No Filter exists to shift the stories that shape Africa’s future. We do this by supporting storytellers, building community, and advocating for more accurate representation of the continent. Our work operates on two interconnected fronts: equipping those who tell Africa’s stories and influencing the platforms and policies that amplify them.

1. Supporting storytellers and creators.

   We invest directly in African voices—journalists, filmmakers, artists, podcasters, and digital content creators—through grants, training, and mentorship. Over the past five years, we have awarded 250+ grants worth $7.5 million, enabling storytellers to complete 184 projects that reached nearly 5 million people directly and 8 million indirectly. These grantees include emerging filmmakers, writers, and cultural entrepreneurs who might otherwise lack access to funding. One example is Dahomey, a film that challenged conventional narratives about African heritage and identity, supported through our grantmaking.

2. Building a community of narrative changemakers.

   We are cultivating the African Narrative Collective—a vibrant network of over 500 storytellers across 50+ countries and the diaspora. They represent industries from arts and culture to media and digital content creation, with a combined social reach estimated at 100 million people. Members have gone on to feature on global platforms such as BBC Africa, Netflix, Disney+, and Al Jazeera. By connecting, training, and amplifying this community, we are creating a sustainable ecosystem of storytellers who are aligned with the mission of shifting harmful narratives.

3. Producing research and evidence.

   Narrative change requires proof. That is why we have published 18 research reports tracking how Africa is represented in global and local media. For example, our How African Media Covers Africa study revealed that 81% of stories about Africa in African outlets are negative and often sourced externally. Our Cost of Narrative report quantified the financial penalty of stereotypes at $4.2 billion annually in loan interest. These findings are widely cited—from The Guardian to the World Economic Forum—positioning ANF as a trusted thought leader on narrative change.

4. Creating and syndicating alternative stories.

   Through our Bird Story Agency—the first African news wire focused on human-centered stories—we have produced and syndicated 1,850 narrative-changing stories across 157 media outlets in 43 countries. These stories center Africa’s creativity, innovation, and resilience, offering a counterweight to deficit-driven coverage.

5. High-profile advocacy campaigns.

   We design bold interventions that capture public imagination, like the Correct the Map campaign, endorsed by the African Union. By challenging centuries-old distortions of Africa’s place on the world map, the campaign reached 6 million people on social media and sparked over 660 global media mentions. It demonstrates how storytelling can disrupt entrenched misperceptions at scale.

Together, these strategies—funding, community building, research, content creation, and advocacy—form a holistic approach. We do not only challenge harmful narratives; we also equip Africans to tell their own stories and ensure those stories are heard globally.