Thomson Reuters Foundation

Thomson Reuters Foundation is the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, headquartered in Canary Wharf, London, with regional hubs in New York and Nairobi. It operates as a registered charity in the United Kingdom and the United States and uses journalism, legal support, research, convening and responsible-business initiatives to address social and institutional challenges. Its stated mission is to strengthen free, fair and informed societies. The Foundation’s work has evolved substantially since its earlier grant-making and humanitarian-information activities. In 1997, after the Rwandan genocide exposed weaknesses in the international media response, it launched AlertNet, a free humanitarian news and information service intended to help relief organizations coordinate and obtain timely information. It later supported or established independent news operations in countries where reliable, locally produced reporting was limited, including Aswat al-Iraq in 2004, Aswat Masriya in Egypt in 2011, and Myanmar Now in 2015. Some of these initiatives later closed or became independent as funding and operating conditions changed. Today, the Foundation emphasizes three broad areas: strengthening independent media, expanding access to law, and promoting responsible business practices. TrustLaw, established in 2010, connects non-governmental organizations and social enterprises with law firms and corporate legal teams that provide pro bono legal advice, research and other assistance. Its Legal Service for Independent Media gives journalists, newsrooms and media-freedom organizations tailored support against legal threats and other pressures. The Foundation also provides journalism training and has supported skills-based programmes for journalists in more than 170 countries. Through its support for the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, it contributes to comparative research on journalism and funds an international Journalist Fellowship Programme. Its annual Trust Conference, previously known as Trust Women, convenes activists, journalists, legal experts, policymakers and business leaders around subjects including press freedom, democracy, civic space and sustainable economies. Its editorial work has included Context, formerly known as AlertNet and later Thomson Reuters Foundation News. The newsroom reported on issues such as climate change, inclusive economies and the social effects of technology, using correspondents and contributors across multiple regions. The supplied reference material states that Context ceased publication in February 2026. The Foundation has also expanded into corporate transparency and technology governance. The Workforce Disclosure Initiative transferred to the Foundation in 2024 after seven years at ShareAction, bringing company-disclosed data about workforce conditions, diversity, inclusion and supply chains into the Foundation’s responsible-business portfolio. In May 2025, it launched the AI Company Data Initiative, a voluntary corporate survey covering AI adoption, workforce effects, accountability, environmental impact, privacy and bias. Antonio Zappulla has served as chief executive since 2016.

The Thomson Reuters Foundation developed from the philanthropic and public-interest activities associated with Reuters and later became the corporate foundation of Thomson Reuters. Its work has historically combined support for journalism, humanitarian information, professional training and initiatives intended to improve public access to reliable knowledge. A major early turning point came in September 1997, when the Reuters Foundation created AlertNet in response to the inadequate media response to the Rwandan genocide. The service offered free humanitarian reporting and information for relief workers and was designed to improve coordination during crises. In 2004, with support from the United Nations Development Programme and the Spanish International Cooperation Agency, the Foundation helped establish Aswat al-Iraq, described as Iraq’s first independent national news agency. Following the Haitian earthquake in January 2010, it launched an Emergency Information Service intended to provide practical, potentially life-saving information to survivors in local languages. The organization also used research and polling to draw attention to women’s safety and equality. Its past projects included surveys or rankings addressing dangerous countries for women, G20 performance on women’s issues, conditions in Arab League countries, transport safety and the concerns of women working in G20 economies. After Thomson Corporation acquired Reuters on 17 April 2008, the Foundation reduced some traditional grant-making activity, reorganized established programmes and placed greater emphasis on using the skills and professional capabilities available through the Thomson Reuters group. This period marked a transition toward programmes focused on independent media, access to justice and responsible business. In 2010, the Foundation created TrustLaw, a global network linking NGOs and social enterprises with law firms and in-house legal teams willing to provide pro bono support. It subsequently developed a dedicated legal service for independent media, helping journalists and news organizations respond to legal threats and improve institutional resilience. Its journalism training programmes, operating since 1983, have reached journalists in more than 170 countries. Since 2006, the Foundation has supported the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, including its international Journalist Fellowship Programme. The Foundation continued to create or support independent media platforms. Aswat Masriya, an Egyptian news site launched in 2011, closed in 2017 because of funding constraints. Myanmar Now was launched ahead of Myanmar’s November 2015 general election as an independent portal led by Burmese journalists. A Myanmar Now feature about underage sex workers received the European Commission’s Lorenzo Natali Media Prize in 2015. Its editorial operation later became known as Thomson Reuters Foundation News and then Context. The newsroom covered climate change, inclusive economies and the effects of technology on society through an international network of staff correspondents and freelancers. The supplied reference material records that Context ceased publication in February 2026. The Foundation’s convening work is represented by Trust Conference, formerly Trust Women. The annual forum addresses threats to democracy, press freedom, shrinking civic space and responsible and sustainable economies. Its responsible-business work expanded when the Workforce Disclosure Initiative moved from ShareAction to the Foundation in 2024. In May 2025, the Foundation launched the AI Company Data Initiative, a voluntary survey intended to create comparable information about corporate use and governance of artificial intelligence. Antonio Zappulla has led the organization as chief executive since 2016.

1. 2026Context ceases publication

   The supplied reference material states that the Foundation’s Context newsroom ended publication in February 2026.

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2. 2025AI Company Data Initiative launches

   The Foundation launched a voluntary survey on corporate AI adoption, governance, workforce effects, environmental impact, privacy and bias.

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3. 2024Workforce Disclosure Initiative transfers

   The Workforce Disclosure Initiative moved from ShareAction to the Foundation to expand its work through the Foundation’s international networks.

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4. 2016Antonio Zappulla becomes CEO

   Antonio Zappulla began serving as chief executive of the Foundation.

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5. 2015Myanmar Now launches

   The Foundation launched Myanmar Now as an independent Burmese-led news portal ahead of Myanmar’s 2015 general election.

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6. 2011Aswat Masriya launches

   The Foundation launched an independent Egyptian news website that operated until its closure in 2017 because of funding limitations.

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7. 2010TrustLaw launches

   TrustLaw was created to connect NGOs and social enterprises with pro bono legal assistance from law firms and corporate legal teams.

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8. 2010Emergency Information Service launches

   After the Haiti earthquake, the Foundation introduced a service providing practical emergency information in local languages.

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9. 2008Post-merger repositioning

   Following Thomson Corporation’s acquisition of Reuters, the Foundation scaled back some grant-making and refocused on programmes that leveraged Thomson Reuters expertise.

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10. 2006Support for the Reuters Institute begins

    The Foundation began supporting the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford and its Journalist Fellowship Programme.

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11. 2004Aswat al-Iraq is established

    With international development support, the Foundation helped create an independent Iraqi national news agency.

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12. 1997AlertNet launches

    The Foundation launched AlertNet after the Rwandan genocide to provide free humanitarian news and improve information-sharing among relief organizations.

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13. 1983Journalism training begins

    The Foundation began providing skills-based journalism training, a programme that later reached journalists in more than 170 countries.

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A global corporate foundation combining public-interest journalism, legal empowerment, media resilience and responsible-business initiatives.

• TrustLawPro bono legal network2010

  A global network connecting non-governmental organizations and social enterprises with law firms and corporate legal teams. Participants receive pro bono legal advice, comparative research and practical legal resources intended to help mission-driven organizations operate, scale and address structural challenges.

• Legal Service for Independent MediaLegal support

  A tailored legal-support programme for journalists, newsrooms and media-freedom organizations. It is designed to help independent media understand and counter legal threats while strengthening their institutional and editorial resilience.

• Journalism and media trainingProfessional training1983

  Skills-based training programmes for journalists around the world. The Foundation states that this work has operated since 1983 and has reached journalists in more than 170 countries, supporting reporting capacity and professional development.

• Reuters Institute Journalist Fellowship ProgrammeJournalism research and fellowship2006

  A fellowship programme at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, which the Foundation has supported since 2006. It brings journalists from different countries to the University of Oxford for research and professional development.

• ContextPublic-interest newsroom1997

  An international newsroom formerly known as AlertNet and Thomson Reuters Foundation News. It reported on climate change, inclusive economies and technology’s effects on society through correspondents and freelancers in numerous countries. The supplied reference material states that it ceased publication in February 2026.

• Trust ConferenceConference and convening

  The Foundation’s annual global forum, formerly called Trust Women. It brings together journalists, activists, policymakers, legal specialists and business leaders to discuss press freedom, democracy, civic space and responsible economies.

• Workforce Disclosure InitiativeResponsible-business data

  An initiative that gathers voluntary corporate disclosures about workforce issues across company operations and supply chains, including diversity, inclusion and working conditions. Its data is intended to give companies and investors more comparable information for decision-making.

• AI Company Data InitiativeAI governance data2025

  A voluntary survey launched to collect comparable information about how companies use and govern artificial intelligence. Its subject areas include workforce effects, legal accountability, environmental impact, data privacy and algorithmic bias, and it is framed by UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of AI.

• 2025Launch of the AI Company Data InitiativeProduct launch

  The Foundation identified a need for comparable information about corporate AI adoption and its implications for workers, accountability, the environment and individual rights.

  What changed. It launched a voluntary company survey grounded in UNESCO’s global recommendation on the ethics of artificial intelligence.

  Aftermath. The initiative was presented as a new data resource for assessing corporate AI practices and governance.

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• 2024Workforce Disclosure Initiative transferStrategy

  The Workforce Disclosure Initiative had operated for seven years within ShareAction before being transferred to the Foundation.

  What changed. The Foundation took over the initiative to accelerate its development through the Foundation’s global networks.

  Aftermath. The initiative became part of the Foundation’s responsible-business and corporate-transparency work.

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• 2008Repositioning after the Reuters acquisitionStrategy

  After Thomson Corporation acquired Reuters, the Foundation reassessed its traditional grant-making model and the role it could play within the enlarged Thomson Reuters group.

  What changed. It reduced some grant-making activities, revised existing programmes and increased initiatives that used the company’s professional skills and expertise for public-interest purposes.

  Aftermath. The Foundation’s portfolio increasingly centered on independent media, access to law and responsible business rather than primarily conventional grants.

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1. Thomson Reuters Foundation
2. Thomson Reuters Foundation official website
3. Thomson Reuters Foundation: registered charity no. 1082139