Media Impact Forum 2026: Suggested Pre-reading

In advance of this year’s Media Impact Forum, our staff has compiled a list of reports, articles and recorded programs to help prepare attendees for the event. These are some of the articles and tools that our programming team had in mind when putting together the conference, and also cover earlier conversations that we will build on at the Forum. We will be adding to this list in the lead-up to May 28.

Not attending the Forum? The materials here speak to the dominant themes and ideas that will be presented on stage, but will also be key parts of the conversations and events funders can expect from MIF in the coming months.

If you have any questions about the links included here, would like more information or have an item you think we should add to the list, please reach out to shannon@mediafunders.org.

Media Infrastructure & Sustainability

Rebuilding Local Journalism at Scale: A Field-Level Analysis of Infrastructure Needs. Published earlier this year by MIF, this report provides an analysis of the structural constraints shaping the future of local journalism
- What Comes Next? The Conversation Emerging Around “Rebuilding Local Journalism at Scale” – a follow-up piece from MIF Staff
- Infrastructure Alone Won’t Save Local News. Funders Must Pair It With Direct Support. – a response from MIF Member The Pivot Fund’s Founder, Tracie Powell
Meeting the Revenue Challenge – Philanthropy’s Role in Local News. Published by the Wyncote Foundation, this report identifies trends in revenue growth and sustainability across local news organizations
Four Station Leaders on Supporting Public Media Through Its Most Significant Shift in Decades. From December 2025, hear directly from four public media station leaders on how the funding cuts are affecting daily operations and how they are navigating new partnerships and opportunities for the future (members only)
“Market Failure or Public Good?”, The Backlight. In this newsletter post, MIF Member Maida Lynn provides an overview of the current conditions of the US Nonprofit Cinema Ecosystem

Safeguarding Media & Journalism

Safeguarding Journalism in a Time of Escalation. Rewatch MIF’s February 2026 Network Call that provides lessons learned for funders in Chicago and Minneapolis on supporting mediamakers during times of crisis (members only)
How funders are approaching safety and sustainability. Presented in April at the International Journalism Festival, this MIF produced panel provides an open conversation with philanthropic funders on their approach to journalist safety and security

New Platforms, Tech & Audience Reach

From Pop Culture to Public Benefit: Funding Entertainment that Creates Change. Revisit MIF’s November 2025 Network Call that provides strategies for philanthropic funders to engage with entertainment media (members only)
Better Questions, Better Insights. Siegel Family Endowment’s white paper on inquiry-driven philanthropy, with insights into their grantmaking
Elev8Docs: A Documentary Marketing Initiative. Conducted by Color Congress, this new distribution project field tested eight experiments and provides through analyses and recommendations that inform the future of community distribution for documentary

Civic Information & New Narratives

“Building Civic Media 2.0: A Regional Design for Public-Interest Media”, Shorenstein Center. In this article, Shorenstein Center Fellow and Executive Director of the Future Film Coalition investigates models for redesigning public-interest media infrastructure for today
“Mapping Local News in Charlotte”, Columbia Journalism Review. Commissioned by the North Carolina Local News Lab Fund, this analysis uses an expanded definition of ‘news’ to identify new gaps in the civic information landscape

About the Author

Media Impact Funders

Media Impact Funders traces its roots back to the Council on Foundations, a longtime philanthropy-serving organization. Formerly Grantmakers in Film, Video & Television, MIF began on a volunteer basis in 1984 as an affinity group for funders interested in the power of film to highlight social issues. Reflecting changes in technology and media behavior over the past decade, it was renamed Grantmakers in Film & Electronic Media (GFEM) and formally incorporated in 2008 to advance the field of media arts and public interest media funding. It had 45 members and was headed by former MacArthur Foundation Program Officer Alyce Myatt. GFEM was renamed Media Impact Funders in 2012 and has since expanded its strategy to include a broad range media funding interests such as journalism, immersive technologies, media policy and more. Since that time, MIF has grown to more than 80 organizational members representing some of the largest foundations, and holds more than 40 in-person and online events yearly.