Funding the News: Foundations and Nonprofit Media

Inspired by the influx of conversation and debate in philanthropy regarding news media following the 2016 US election, this report details grantmaking patterns for news and media in the period leading up to the election and contextualizes those findings to offer insights for philanthropy as funding for media—particularly nonprofit news—continues to grow.
The report surfaces trends that are relevant in our current moment, as the field continues to grapple with sustainable revenue models for nonprofit news, the new to increase overall funding for news media and how and where to identify new ways to reach audiences.

Use This Guide To:

1. Review philanthropic trends that informed current grantmaking trends
2. Create benchmarks for evaluating progress in your organization’s post-2016 strategy
3. Check assumptions about progress in media funding

Suggested Content:

1. Reimagining Public Media: Strategic Leadership and Innovation in Local News
2. This Is Local News Now
3. Pew-Knight Initiative Media Habits

Featured Members:

1. Heising-Simons Foundation
2. American Press Institute

Source: Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy