Introducing MIF Learning Initiatives: New ways for members to engage around pressing questions

At the Media Impact Forum last month, attendees had several opportunities to roll up their sleeves and discuss not only challenges in funding public interest media but the tools, research and frameworks that would move our field forward.

We promised that the Forum was only the beginning of a conversation, and today we’re announcing the first round of Learning Initiatives we’re building based on these discussions feedback. These Initiatives are designed to be time-bound and outcomes-based collaborations for members to work together  on specific topics and themes, providing opportunities for our members to build tools, collaborate on strategies as well as identify new opportunities for funding and co-funding.

Our first two initiatives are open to all members, including those with more experience in these areas and those considering some of these conversations for the first time. They will start meeting later this summer by Zoom and will finish their work by December. At the conclusion, MIF will be sharing outcomes and conclusions with the entire community later this fall.

• New Tech & Platforms: How do funders help support and build new platforms and distribution tools, particularly in the age of AI? This group will explore approaches and best practices for funders looking to support and incubate new platforms, including potential opportunities for collaborative funding.
• Measuring Audience and Impact: Just about every funder cares about the impact media can have and the audience media reaches. But with vastly different definitions and measurements of success, there’s a frequent risk of creating confusion for practitioners and creating unhelpful incentives. This group will work together to build practical frameworks for assessing media grantmaking outcomes, including strategies for measuring audience and documentary impact.

Want to get involved? Reach out to shannon@mediafunders.org with the name of the initiative you’d like to join.

In addition to these Learning Initiatives, based on consistent requests at the Forum and elsewhere, we will also begin building a few toolkits in partnership with those members most experienced in the field:

• Safety Toolkit: We’ve heard from numerous funders that they see the importance of funding media safety work but don’t know where to start. We will work with key leaders in this space, including funders, practitioners and key intermediaries, to create a series of tools including potential co-funding opportunities to help prioritize and resource this crucial work.
• AI Primer Toolkits: While the implications of artificial intelligence on public service media continue to shift and evolve, we know many funders are eager to get a better understanding of the current state of play and the ways funders can help support opportunities for the field and mitigate the greatest risks.

If you are active in any of these areas, or would like to contribute, please reach out to shannon@mediafunders.org to register your interest or share resources.

We will continue to announce additional Learning Initiatives and Toolkits, which will be  recurring member benefits moving forward. If there is a specific topic or theme you are particularly passionate about, or you see an urgent need for the field you have identified, we would like to hear about it! Please email Shannon and we can start exploring.