It took a group of heartbroken teenagers to move the needle on gun violence. Here’s how they did it.
In the month since the school shootingat Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., which left 17 dead and numerous others wounded, the student leaders of the #NeverAgain movement have been able to move the needle on gun issues—even as many adults had thrown up their hands on the issues long ago. What’s more, […]
The 2017 Media Impact Festival honorees: Where are they now?
You may have heard political commentator Charlie Sykes talk about polarization in this country. He examined it in several newspaper op-eds. He hosted a show about it in President Trump’s first 100 days in office. And he talked about it at our 2017 Media Impact Forum back in June.
With support from the WestWind Foundation, AMAZE project removes barriers to common-sense sex education
What impact can foundation-funded media have in the contested discourse over reproductive rights around the world? In this guest post, Kristen Mahoney of the WestWind Foundation, based in Charlottesville, Va., explains the strategy behind supporting AMAZE—a project designed to make sex education approachable, engaging and informative for very young adolescents.
Empathy machine? Learn how VR creators are measuring the impact of their projects
By Meghan Ventura | Community & Operations Manager, Games for Change With VR’s promise to help us see the world from someone else’s point of view, one word has become nearly synonymous with virtual reality projects on real-world issues—empathy.
2017 Media Impact Festival Case Studies
Since 2014, Media Impact Funders has been showcasing the work of producers dedicated to creating documentaries in the public interest through our annual Media Impact Festival. This year’s Media Impact Festival is a partnership with the AFI DOCS Film Festival in Washington, D.C., which took place from June 14-18. Our festival celebrates the following 10 […]
CNN commentator Van Jones breathes life into national conversations around racial & political divides
On July 24, the night before the opening of the Democratic National Convention here in Philadelphia, Van Jones—CNN commentator, social activist, author and president & co-founder of The Dream Corps—offered his candid thoughts on the state of our increasingly divided nation.
Foundation Maps for Media Funding: Introducing a new tool for unlocking the power of media grants data
Media Impact Funders and Foundation Center Announce New Mapping Tool for Media and Philanthropy
Games making impact: "Super Powers Legion," "Life is Strange," and "Syrian Journey"
By Games for Change Every year, the Games for Change Festival celebrates the most impactful digital games that touch on social issues and aim to inspire their audiences to action. As video game’s audience increases—with gamers in 60 percent of American homes, according to the Entertainment Software Association—so does their potential to impact even more […]
The importance of funding documentaries to drive policy change
Vince Stehle, our executive director, spoke with Ethan McCoy and Ellie Buteau of the Center for Effective Philanthropy about how documentaries can drive real change, and what foundations are doing to be more involved.
#InequalityIs
What is it: A campaign launched by Ford in late January that seeks to raise awareness about inequality in all its forms and what can be done about it. Ford asked people on social media one question: “Finish this sentence: Inequality is…”
Foundations and venture capitalists vie to reform funding for educational technology
The recent release of the 2016 National Education Technology Plan reflects a growing interest in supporting a national vision to “ensure equity of access to transformational learning experiences enabled by technology.”
Emerging Strategies for Supporting Local and Ethnic Reporting
Media Impact Funders and Southern California Grantmakers held a convening of funders on Saturday, September 26 in Los Angeles, at the Annenberg Foundation’s Skylight Studios to explore emerging strategies for supporting local and ethnic reporting projects. See our Storify from the day for highlights, speaker presentations and more.