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

We explored the current state of disability representation in media and why it is crucial to address the persistent lack of inclusivity and support for people with disabilities. This representation matters because it shapes public perception and opportunities, yet individuals with disabilities often face barriers to equitable participation and portrayal. The panelists provided actionable insights into how the funding community can play a pivotal role in promoting accessibility initiatives across the industry. From supporting career development for filmmakers with disabilities, championing accessible production practices, covering physical accessibility for in-person exhibitions like festivals and theaters and funding accessibility assets for media that is made. This session offered a comprehensive look at the various ways funders can drive positive change. Watch the compelling discussion that explores the need for funders to advance accessibility in media and film.   We heard from: Cassidy Dimon, Executive Director, FWD-Doc Keisha Knight, Director, IDA Funds and Advocacy, International Documentary Association Richie Seigel, Co-Founder & President, Inevitable Foundation Carrie Lozano, President and CEO, ITVS (moderator) Resources shared during the Session: https://www.fwd-doc.org/toolkit https://www.indievisibleentertainment.com/production-accessibility-coordinators https://www.fullspectrumfeatures.com/access-reframed Scorecard Impact Report: https://www.fwd-doc.org/accessibility-scorecard-impact-report-2023 Here is the report that states that 1 penny of every 10 dollars foes to… Read More

Catherine Devine (Rita Allen Foundation Civic Science Fellow 2024-25) shares reflections from the 2024 JFunders annual meeting in San Francisco: My first encounter with journalism was with my town’s Hometown Weekly—a modest paper that covered everything from local elections to dance recitals, graduations to high school football games. It was only recently, at the JFunders annual gathering at KQED’s headquarters in San Francisco, that I began to reflect on the role that little paper played in my life. Growing up, I didn’t know it, but the Hometown Weekly was like a quiet thread running through Dover, Massachusetts, weaving us together in subtle, necessary ways. It gave neighbors a reason to cheer on the local graduates, it handed a slice of fame to the high school all-stars, and in its own way, it held us—our community—steady, even if I was too young to recognize it. There’s something undeniably powerful in that, a reminder of what local journalism can offer when it’s done right: a small, constant current that flows through a place, letting people feel seen, understood, and connected. During the JFunders gathering, Snap Judgment founder Glynn Washington spoke about empathy as the backbone of good journalism. “Storytelling isn’t about convincing,” he said. Read More

Angelica Das is an associate director on the Public Square Team at Democracy Fund. Last month, during our annual journalism funders gathering, Angelica led a discussion about how funders are supporting each other, their staff and their grantees at a time of intense anxiety around the election. If you’re feeling election anxiety, you’re not alone. The source of anxiety is unique to each of us: local vs. national election outcomes, navigating a deluge of mis- and disinformation, recovery from natural disasters, economic stress, or fear of physical and digital threats and harm.  Read More

Day 2 of JFunders24 was focused on funder-only discussions, some meant to expand funders’ understanding of journalism grantmaking—such as a session unpacking the mechanics of for-profit grantmaking—and others that were meant to explore opportunities for support in areas such as legal threats, digital and physical safety and security, the backlash against racial equity, and more.  But before we kicked off those conversations, we heard a few mainstage presentations about solutions to paywalls, policy action benefiting community and ethnic media in San Francisco, tech platforms enabling more authentic storytelling, and how data uncovered hidden narratives for Black Californians. We also heard this unbelievably powerful story: In August 2023, the Marion County Record, a small Kansas newspaper, made national headlines after a controversial police raid in which authorities seized newsroom equipment and documents from the office and homes of Publisher Eric Meyer and his mother, co-owner Joan Meyer. Shocked by the invasion, Joan died the next day. While the paper was cleared of wrongdoing, the raid prompted widespread criticism as an attack on press freedom. On the morning of Day 2, we heard this powerful account first-hand from Eric, in conversation with Sandy Herz,… Read More

At a time when pillars of American journalism such as The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times are crumbling at the hands of their billionaire owners, leading lights of journalism and philanthropy came together last week for the annual gathering of journalism funders at public media bulwark KQED in San Francisco to explore how best to strengthen public interest journalism. Convened by Media Impact Funders, JFunders24 brought together leading journalism funders from around the country for two days of presentations and discussions with journalists, media executives, academic scholars, political figures and policy experts. We covered a wide range of urgent topics, including frank and practical conversations about mergers and acquisitions, the myriad implications of artificial intelligence and the urgency of addressing the balance of power in journalism and storytelling. Our first day of programming began with an all-star panel of media leaders from PRX, KERA and the Center for Investigative Reporting, as they navigate the challenging passage through mergers and acquisitions, with expert moderation by MIF board chair Kayce Ataiyero, Chief External Affairs Officer at The Joyce Foundation. Then, California State Sen. Steve Glazer spoke with Rebuild Local News board… Read More

Since 2006, the Schmidt Family Foundation, established by Eric and Wendy Schmidt, has been at the forefront of supporting climate change communication initiatives. Wendy Schmidt, with her background in journalism, recognized the critical role of clear and accurate information in driving meaningful action. One of the Foundation’s key priorities has been to bridge the gap between complex scientific data and accessible public understanding. After extensive discussions with climate experts and scientists, Wendy was drawn to a groundbreaking idea: the creation of a “bridge” institution that could provide the media with independent, reliable and credible scientific information on climate change. This commitment led to the founding of Climate Central, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering journalists and the public with accurate and accessible climate data. Here, we sit down with Joe Sciortino, the Foundation’s executive director, to explore Schmidt’s approach to media grantmaking, the gaps and opportunities in the field of media funding, and the urgent need for more climate media storytelling. Nina Sachdev, Director of Communications, Media Impact Funders: Let’s talk about the evolution of Schmidt’s media grantmaking strategy. What are some of the major takeaways and insights from supporting this kind of work for nearly… Read More

Facing significant challenges, local news outlets are providing less coverage of crucial topics—including philanthropy. This decline often obscures philanthropy’s vital role in keeping communities vibrant and meeting critical needs. To address this, The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s Nonprofit Accountability and Solutions Fellowship equips local journalists with the skills needed to craft compelling stories about the vital work of nonprofits and foundations. Research shows a strong public desire for information on how communities tackle problems, and nonprofits often play a central role as connectors and problem solvers. That role is especially crucial as America faces growing divides. To spotlight how philanthropy is working to bring people together to build civic connections, The Chronicle just launched a new project, called the Commons, which offers reporting, opinion, essays, resources, tools and more. Media philanthropy, in particular, can contribute significantly by investing in a diverse range of narratives from various communities. Watch this compelling discussion that explores the critical role of storytelling in philanthropy. Speakers: Steve Kilar, Equity Issues Editor, Arizona Republic Stacy Palmer, CEO, The Chronicle of Philanthropy Andrew Simon, Editor-in-Chief, The Chronicle of Philanthropy Fay Twersky, President and Director; The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Vince Stehle, Executive Director, Media… Read More

Misinformation is hardly a new problem, but it often spikes around breaking news events. Racist narratives and conspiracy theories have rapidly escalated after the launch of Vice President Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign. Misinformation from across the political spectrum about the motivations behind the attempted assassination of former President Trump has also intensified. The spread of misinformation is being acutely accelerated by political violence and the amplification of false AI-generated media. Newsrooms and journalists face staggering challenges to deliver reliable information to communities in a presidential election year — especially when these tensions are high. The good news is we know more about the solutions today than ever before. The missing piece is the scale of resources needed to adequately respond to today’s challenges. Philanthropy can address these challenges by combating misinformation and amplifying trustworthy information. Both actions are essential this election year and beyond to ensure communities have the necessary information to make decisions that impact their daily lives. It’s not too late to invest in this strategy. Here are four ways that pro-democracy and journalism funders can act now: 1. Fund the organizers and experts who are mobilizing against misinformation. They are working right… Read More

This database includes a selection of recent philanthropically-funded climate media projects. Designed to show the breadth of investment, it can serve as a starting point for funders interested in supporting a range of climate media, including long-form journalistic projects and newsroom investment, documentaries, podcasts, narrative change initiatives, film/TV, new media, books and more. Explore the database. Notice something is missing or want to add a correction? Add a project using our online submission form.

Forget what you know about the current infrastructure of digital public forums—listservs, Facebook Groups, Nextdoor. Done right, forums could be spaces where local journalism can thrive, build a real audience, and do the essential work of informing people on topics important in their lives, investigating corruption and malfeasance, and providing useful analysis. Unfortunately, the local forum is an oft-neglected area with a lot of potential upside for communities, local journalism, and American democracy. Watch this compelling discussion that asks us to imagine a wave of thriving, prosocial, public-spirited local forums, ones that are AI-enabed and community-led, and that increase community cohesion and resilience, while strengthening civic engagement and democracy. Speakers: Darryl Holliday, a local news strategist, organizer and journalist, is steward of the News Futures collaborative and an independent consultant. He co-founded the Pulitzer Prize-winning civic media lab City Bureau, where he orchestrated the development of Documenters.org in 11 cities. Eli Pariser, Co-Director of New_Public, is an author, activist and entrepreneur focused on making technology and media serve democracy. Eli previously ran MoveOn.org, co-founded Avaaz (now the world’s largest citizen’s organization) and Upworthy, and wrote the bestselling book “The Filter Bubble.” Leo Suarez, Founder/ Lead Moderator at The DTRaleigh… Read More

While there is general consensus among funders about the significance of the safety and security of journalists, many say that the actual implementation of safety and security measures is falling short. This discussion explores one compelling discovery from MIF’s latest research on the global journalism funding landscape: In a funder survey, when asked about motivations for supporting journalism, ensuring the safety and security of journalists ranked last. The safety of journalists is a global issue, not just confined to conflict zones or oppressive environments, and has worsened in recent years. Watch this compelling discussion featuring Adessium Foundation and the Committee to Protect Journalists:  Speakers: Ebru Akgün, Public Interest Programe Manager, Adessium Foundation; co-chair, Journalism Funders Forum, hosted at Philea Liz Baker, Senior Director, Humanity United (moderator) Katie Donnelly, Co-Founder, Dot Connector Studios Lucy Westcott, Emergencies Director, Committee to Protect Journalists This discussion was hosted in collaboration with the Journalism Funders Forum. Read More