Ember Media Project enables bold new ideas shaping the future of alternative media from India.

Firm in the belief that an abundance of ideas and ingenuity lies beyond the gates of legacy media, Ember recognizes that a shift in cultural production is on the horizon. Increasingly, culture-defining storytelling is coming from unexpected creators who are extending the boundaries of what media can do. This Project endeavours to explore the possibilities of courageous, forward-thinking media when creators — irrespective of background or experience — have the financial and creative freedom to dream big.

Every year, Ember will select five of the best new ideas in media to support through:

• Funding of up to 50 Lakh INR per project;
• Peer mentorship throughout the grant cycle;
• Support with targeted distribution and amplification strategies within India and globally.

We will support projects that radically rethink how media is used to tell stories, across audio, written, visual mediums. Our definition of new media is deliberately broad, because every time an idea or approach redefines convention, it rarely has a perfect precursor. We are seeking projects that reflect original, creative thinking, alongside an innovation in form that adds something new to their medium of choice — and most importantly, they must move the cultural conversation forward.

The Ember Media Project is a non-profit programme conceptualized by the team behind The Swaddle, the digital publication and creative studio that shaped Indian discourse on culture and society, through its magazine, podcasts, and video series, from 2018 to early 2026.