New Research Spotlight
Philanthropy’s growing role in American journalism: A new study reveals increased funding and ethical considerations
A new study conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago in partnership with Media Impact Funders and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism that examines the role of philanthropy in American journalism found strong growth in support for nonprofit news over the past five years, an increase in funding to for-profit newsrooms, and a growing focus on communities of color.
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Philanthropy’s growing role in American journalism: A new study reveals increased funding and ethical considerations
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Media Impact Funders welcomes submissions from funders and other stakeholders in the fields of media and philanthropy. Email us your ideas at news@mediafunders.org.

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After Uvalde: Guns, Grief & Texas Politics | FRONTLINE

Eight days after Salvador Ramos turned 18, he walked into his former elementary school armed with a legally-purchased AR-15-style rifle and killed 19 children and two adults—all within about three minutes. The mass shooting happened on May 24, 2022, at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas; it’s now the second deadliest school shooting in the United […]

August 31, 2023
  • Adriana Imhof

MIF receives three-year, $300,000 grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

Media Impact Funders has received a three-year, $300,000 general-operating grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic institutions in the U.S.

August 31, 2023

WATCH: How to leverage philanthropic capital to transform the media landscape

This members briefing was organized in partnership with New Media Ventures and co-sponsored with Philanthropy New York. All members and supporters of Media Impact Funders have the opportunity to initiate and produce issue-related programming for their peers. Learn more about member briefings. This week, experts from industry leaders New Media Ventures and Accelerate Change joined […]

December 15, 2022
  • Media Impact Funders

Member spotlight: Lumina Foundation

Lumina Foundation, a member of MIF since 2011, is a private foundation in Indianapolis committed to learning after high school that prepares people for informed citizenship and success in a global economy. For 14 years, Lumina has focused on ensuring that, by 2025, 60 percent of adults in the United States have college degrees or other credentials of […]

September 29, 2022
  • Nina Sachdev

Looking forward prompts us to look back: Reflections from our 2019 Media Impact Forum

As we prepare for our first in-person gathering since the pandemic began, the Media Impact Forum at the National Geographic Society on June 1, we have been thinking back to the last time we got together in person for our Forum—titled Radio Active Culture—in May 2019, at the American Philosophical Society, here in Philadelphia. In […]

March 31, 2022
  • Vincent Stehle

WATCH: How funders can use data maps to inform funding decisions

In partnership with Candid (formerly Foundation Center and GuideStar)—which provides data-driven tools, educational resources and trainings, analyses, and more to the philanthropic sector—MIF offered a workshop to help funders learn how to use data maps to inform funding priorities and strategic decision-making. These maps are free, interactive tools that show the full scope of philanthropically-funded […]

February 9, 2022
  • Media Impact Funders

New Wyncote Foundation report explores the use of media to foster cultural expression

A new report commissioned by the Wyncote Foundation, “Culture, Heritage, and Place: How Media Amplifies Community Narratives,” profiles eight place-based organizations that use media for cultural expression and connection, with local funding support.

May 11, 2021
  • Media Impact Funders

WATCH: Supporting digital public spaces that put people over profit

What should digital public spaces look like? For the third and final installment of our series exploring the problems and solutions of Big Tech, we heard from four organizations—Amara, Mozilla, Wikimedia Foundation and VolunteerMatch—that have built digital public spaces that serve all communities. These organizations, whose business models center on people over profit, strive to […]

February 16, 2021
  • Nina Sachdev

WATCH: How can philanthropy invest in a more equitable tech sector?

How can philanthropy invest in a more equitable technology sector as a means to combat some of the threats that Big Tech poses to democracy?

January 7, 2021
  • Nina Sachdev

Here’s our year-end impact review—and our questions for 2021

This year was slated to be our year of impact. We started off with a bang in January at the Sundance Film Festival, where we released Decoding Media Impact: Insights, Advice and Recommendations, our impact report summing up seven years of research in the media impact space. 

December 7, 2020
  • Katie Donnelly

WATCH: Addressing the impact of Big Tech

It’s impossible to live in the digital world without engaging with Big Tech. These behemoth information technology companies—Apple, Google, Facebook, etc.—influence all facets of life, impacting us in ways we are only just starting to understand. While these platforms are making good on the promise of keeping us connected, the effects have been catastrophic. Turns […]

November 18, 2020
  • Media Impact Funders

MIF is launching a working group focusing on impact

To further explore issues related to media impact and assessment, MIF is forming a working group of funders who want to strengthen the field of practice. Here’s a bit of background on how we arrived at that decision: MIF has been regularly tracking the field of media impact assessment for the last eight years. Every […]

October 1, 2020
  • Media Impact Funders