MIF releases report examining the current state of the field of media impact assessment

After seven years of tracking the field of media impact assessment, we're pleased to announce the release of our latest report, Decoding Media Impact: Insights, Advice & Recommendations, which provides an examination of the current state of the field. Read More

Media Impact Funders has joined 18 philanthropic and nonprofit organizations to present a series of free online diversity, equity, access and inclusion training sessions on the nuts and bolts of how PSOs and foundations and their grantees can include people with disabilities from all backgrounds in their work. The series is hosted by RespectAbility, a nonprofit that fights stigmas around disability and advances opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community. Read More

Earlier this month, Borealis Philanthropy announced the launch of the Racial Equity in Journalism Fund, a pooled fund to increase the capacity and sustainability of news organizations led by people of color, and to increase civic engagement for communities of color. Read More

As part of a new strategic direction informed by a yearlong review of our organization, we've been tasked with outlining learning priorities for the year and beyond. We have identified the following priorities: Making the case for media funding Assessing the impact of media funding Understanding the importance of evidence-based science communications activities Presenting/identifying funding models & best practices for supporting local journalism Read More

We’re living in a new golden age of audio, by almost any measure. Every week, broadcast radio reaches 93 percent of American adults (228.5 million weekly listeners) and 30 million people watch, listen to, or download a podcast, up 157 percent since 2014. In public media, the top 20 largest public radio news stations together reach a weekly average of 11 million listeners, up from 10 million the prior year. In case you think that radio is mainly for older adults, in the midst of digital upheaval and proliferating ways to find and listen to audio, Nielsen reports that 97 percent of Millenials and 98 percent of Gen Xers listen to the radio every month. Read More

Late last year, we announced our participation in a strategic planning process to better serve the developing landscape for both our current and future members. This process, which included interviews with key stakeholders, surveys from our members and from our larger network, a scan of the landscape and more, took place from August 2018 through January 2019 under the guidance of Boost Social Sector Consulting. Read More

Next week marks the beginning of the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, the premier international platform for advancing entrepreneurial solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. (Follow #SkollWF on Twitter for updates on the Forum.) In the meantime, we were fortunate to get in touch with Nancy Lublin, founder & CEO of Crisis Text Line—one of the five recipients of this year's Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship Awards. Read More

As the world faces extraordinary challenges and ever more interconnected economic, social and communications systems, we know that media plays a key role in addressing and shaping the most pressing issues of our time—making global media philanthropy increasingly important. From supporting local reporting and protecting freedom of expression to improving health through public service radio campaigns and ensuring equitable internet access, media philanthropy impacts which communities have a voice, the quality of available information, and the kinds of stories we share. Understanding this global media funding landscape is critical for the philanthropic sector. While the funding landscape for U.S.-based philanthropies investing in media is well-documented, the picture for international philanthropy is far less clear. To help shed some light, we are pleased to share our new report, Global Media Philanthropy: What Funders Need to Know About Data, Trends and Pressing Issues Facing the Field. Written by Sarah Armour-Jones and Jessica Clark, consultants to Media Impact Funders, the research draws on data from our media grants data map, results from a survey of leading organizations engaged in funding media-related projects around the world, analyses of existing literature and reports, and insights offered by experts across a range of media funding… Read More

Feb. 26, 2019. Miami, Fla.—The American Journalism Project, a new initiative to reinvigorate mission-driven local news through the power of venture philanthropy, today announced its official launch with $42 million in lead funding commitments, a Board of Directors, and its first three hires. Read More