MIF’s Public Media Briefing on Children’s Media Follow-up: Next steps for funders

As part of Media Impact Funders’ programming on the Future of Public Media (one of our core pillars), we recently hosted an urgent conversation on the role of PBS Kids and public interest children’s media in the aftermath of massive cuts to federal funding and a field increasingly shaped by commercial incentives. The briefing spotlighted the historic role PBS Kids and its production partners have played in delivering research-based educational content for young audiences and ways that funders can help sustain this unique work. Below, you’ll find key takeaways from the program, a brief list of options for funders looking to deepen their engagement, and opportunities to join working sessions next month and in the summer. Please email Shannon Thomas at shannon@mediafunders.org if you would like to get involved in this work. MIF is committed to supporting this critical issue with members and interested funders. We are grateful to our partners: Grantmakers for Education, the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative and Grantmakers for Thriving Youth. And thanks again to the program speakers: Gregg Behr, Executive Director, The Grable Foundation, Sara DeWitt, Senior VP & General Manager, PBS Kids & Education, Jenn Hoos Rothberg, Executive Director,… Read More

The MIF team is back from the International Journalism Festival, where we had the privilege of joining funders, journalists and researchers from around the world discussing local news, journalist safety and more. We organized two panels and hosted our annual funder brunch, and this year, our work focused on how funders are thinking about journalism safety and impact right now and where there are opportunities for collaboration. Our Executive Director, Abby Rapoport, moderated a conversation on how funders are approaching safety and sustainability. Safety is no longer just a concern for reporters in conflict zones. While there’s been growing investment in journalism infrastructure, there’s a critical gap in support systems to protect journalists themselves. The discussion explored how funders are navigating risk and responsibility and what it will take to sustain journalism in an increasingly volatile global environment. Nina Sachdev, our Deputy Director of External Affairs, led a session on what journalism can learn from documentary funders. Panelists discussed the factors that shape funding decisions and the ethics of how stories are produced. The conversation offered practical insight into how these approaches might translate into newsroom practice. We also convened our annual funder breakfast, bringing together… Read More

During our latest Safeguarding Media and Journalism meeting, we discussed the complex questions funders face about what is—and isn’t—permissible when supporting media and journalism in today’s shifting legal and policy landscape. We heard from Maya Raghu—Director of the Protecting and Advancing Diversity Equity, and Inclusion Initiative at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law—who offered guidance on funding initiatives related to DEI and Abby Levine—Associate General Counsel and Senior Policy Counsel at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation—who offered guidance on funding advocacy efforts.  … Read More