Over the years, funders of media & journalism have helped America understand—and come to terms with—its gun violence epidemic

In recent weeks, it seems like America has arrived at a crucial crossroads in its long and painful history of gun violence. In the wake of several high-profile mass shootings in Atlanta, in Boulder, Colo., and most recently, in Indianapolis, Ind., there is a growing sense of outrage and demand for solutions. And in Washington, for the first time in several years, political leadership in Congress and the White House is aligned in seeking to create new laws to rein in the worst aspects of American gun violence. So there is a glimmer of hope that Washington might make some progress on an issue that has been gridlocked for many years. Read More

Thanks for your interest in sponsoring MIF’s events. Your support helps us serve our growing network of funders who care about effective use of media, and the programs we create to serve them. Demonstrate your commitment to media in the public interest by supporting our efforts to catalyze innovation at the intersection of media and philanthropy. Download our 2021 sponsorship packet Ready to secure your sponsorship or need more info? Contact Courtney Eshleman , MIF’s Director of Development & Member Engagement, at courtney@mediafunders.org.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has awarded Media Impact Funders (MIF)—a member-supported network of funders who support media in the public interest—a $200,000 grant to grow the network of journalism and media funders with events and network-building opportunities. Read More

Media Impact Funders (MIF)—which advances and catalyzes the work of a diverse range of funders committed to media that informs, engages and inspires—has received a three-year, $300,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to advance the goals of its Journalism Funders Network. A diverse group of philanthropy organizations working in journalism and media, the Journalism Funders Network works to increase—and improve the efficiency of—philanthropic investments in media in the United States through convenings, reports and other field-building work. Read More

Media Impact Funders (MIF)—which advances and catalyzes the work of a diverse range of funders committed to media that informs, engages and inspires—has received a two-year $150,000 grant from the Rita Allen Foundation to expand the knowledge and capacity of funders supporting evidence-based communication. Read More

Media Impact Funders is tracking funding resources specific to COVID-19. This resource references funding opportunities initiated by funders for inspiration to other funders, as well as potential collaboration opportunities between funders. We’ll keep adding to this spreadsheet as more resources become available. Email us at info@mediafunders.org if you know of a collaboration, initiative, fund or response that should be added here. See the List of COVID-19 Funding Resources You’ll also find details about the online discussions we’ve organized for funders to share their response to COVID-19. Funders, if you missed any of these conversations and would like the notes, please email roshni@mediafunders.org. March 25 – Supporting journalists during the COVID-19 pandemic With the rapidly changing situation with COVID-19, journalists are on the frontlines reporting on what citizens need to know to be safe. As such, we hosted a funder-only virtual discussion on these pressing issues and more. We heard from two journalists about the challenges and experiences newsrooms are facing, and how funders can support them during this crisis. We also heard about a new partnership between the Facebook Journalism Project and the Lenfest Institute for Journalism about… Read More

This post originally appeared on the Democracy Fund's Engaged Journalism Lab. Here at Democracy Fund, we’ve been focused on addressing our grantees’ shifting needs, and finding ways to support engaged journalism during the global coronavirus crisis. As this pandemic continues to impact our country’s most marginalized communities disproportionately, we’ve become more sure than ever that it’s crucial not only to fund journalism, but to fund equitable journalism. Read More

Last month, Media Impact Funders (MIF) made its annual trek to the Sundance Film Festival, where we released our latest report—Decoding Media Impact: Insights, Advice and Recommendations—to a room of about 80 funders from some of the country’s leading foundations. Read More