Stay up-to-date on the latest news, trends and perspectives in media and philanthropy.

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, we are celebrating the power of interactive technologies to deepen the relationship between news and documentary projects and their audiences. Our 2016 selections — celebrated at our annual […]

Following the buzz in journalistic circles, it seems clear that interactive stories and productions have the potential to engage audiences in new and exciting ways. But how does this work exactly—and when should funders be stepping in to invest more seriously in such experiments?

For funders and grantees avidly tracking journalism’s evolution, the annual release of the Pew Research Center’s State of the News Media analysis sets the stage for strategy discussions and decisions in the months to follow. Last year’s much-quoted stat was 1% — the estimated percentage of “total news dollars” contributed by philanthropy, venture capital, and […]

By Games for Change Video games have proven to be extremely impactful media, both in sheer scale, and in the breadth of topics they address — from politics, to health, to cultural preservation and beyond. In 2014, the games industry generated $72 billion revenue globally and in the U.S. alone, two-thirds of the population plays […]

PARK CITY, Utah — When media funders talk about impact, what do they mean, and how do they demonstrate it? At the Sundance Film Festival, Media Impact Funders (MIF) released a new report, Funder Perspectives: Assessing Media Investments. It explores the multiple and sometimes overlapping lenses through which grantmakers view media evaluation, and confirms that […]

October was jam-packed with events examining how media can inspire creativity and catalyze change. From audio to visual, campaigns to games, virtual war stories to life-threatening investigations, this month offered insights on the impact of many different media forms.

Media Impact Funders and Northern California Grantmakers held a special funder briefing at Zynga headquarters in San Francisco on games addressing science and health, related impact research, and what the future of this burgeoning field looks like for philanthropists interested in adding games to their programmatic investments. MIF executive director Vince Stehle was joined onstage […]

‘Social good’ games can do so much — from teaching players about issues such as poverty, civic participation and the environment, to helping them become creative problem solvers or make healthy choices. The opportunities to engage audiences are as varied as the types of games available, and funders are increasingly interested in supporting game-based elements […]