Adessium Foundation turns 20 in 2025. To mark the occasion, we’re looking back with some of the organizations we’ve partnered with over the years. This time, we spoke with the U.S.-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

When funding dictated the focus

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) brings together around 290 investigative reporters from across the globe. Together, they uncover stories about tax evasion, corruption, and bribery. One of their most well-known exposés: the Panama Papers.

Executive Director Gerard Ryle: “Adessium has supported ICIJ since 2009. The initial grant was for three years, and we were free to decide how to spend it. Most other funders gave money tied to specific themes, like the environment, which meant the funding largely dictated what the work was about. With Adessium, it was the journalists who got to decide.”

Doubt over continued funding

“One of Adessium’s conditions was a formal evaluation after two and a half years. The question: had their support taken ICIJ to the next level? Was it worth continuing the partnership? Adessium came back with a detailed report.”

“One key criticism was that we were too focused on the United States. Another was the lack of long-term impact: Adessium wanted stories that would really resonate. Their conclusion? ICIJ wasn’t delivering enough results to justify continued funding. I was hired shortly after that report, in September 2011, as a non-American.”

600 journalists involved

“My plan was to shift direction. I thought: if I can come up with a strong enough story idea, I can ask media outlets to lend their reporters and photographers. I went back to Adessium and asked for another three years of support. They agreed, and in that period, we redefined how we work.”

“Our first major global investigation was Offshore Leaks in 2013. That eventually led to the Panama Papers in 2016 and the Pandora Papers in 2021. The Pandora Papers involved 600 journalists from 150 media partners across 117 countries.”

$1.3 billion in recovered taxes

“Our investigations have led to four prime ministers stepping down and sent people to prison. The Panama Papers alone have resulted in $1.3 billion in recovered taxes and penalties. We’ve shaken a lot of people awake. I’m grateful to Adessium for their vision and for believing in us when it really mattered.”