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

After more than 12 years of service to our growing network of funders who support media and journalism in the public interest, Vince Stehle will be departing from his role as Executive Director. During his tenure, Vince created many new opportunities for foundations and philanthropists to gather and work together to increase their support to journalists, filmmakers and storytellers across the country, contributing to the organization’s growth and impact. Beginning as Grantmakers in Film and Electronic Media, one of the first things we did in 2012 was to rebrand the organization as Media Impact Funders (MIF), to reflect a broader range of media activities supported by foundations. At the same time, the field of media philanthropy has grown, with our research documenting that foundation media grants have grown from $1.1 billion in 2009 to more than $3.8 billion in 2021. Under Vince’s leadership, MIF has served this growing field with membership that has tripled over these years. And now, at a moment of even greater expansion and excitement in the field of media philanthropy, MIF is poised for its… Read More

The 2024 Media Impact Forum served as an important reminder that storytelling is the bridge we desperately need to foster understanding in a fractured world. Journalists and creators are on the front lines, crafting narratives that transcend cultural and regional boundaries. Their work is essential for promoting empathy and a more informed future. The Forum highlighted the crucial role of funders in supporting these efforts. Read More

We’re thrilled to announce exciting leadership changes to the Media Impact Funders Board of Directors! Kayce Ataiyero, Chief External Affairs Officer at the Joyce Foundation, brings her expertise in journalism funding to the role of Chair, while Kaitlin Yarnall, Chief Storytelling Officer at National Geographic Society, steps up as Vice Chair. Kayce joined the Board in 2020, and Kaitlin, who joined in 2018, also serves as the chair of our Program & Communications Board Committee. Kayce and Kaitlin bring decades of journalism, media and grantmaking experience to our board and to the field. We’re incredibly excited about this new chapter with Kayce and Kaitlin leading the way. Their combined expertise and vision will be instrumental in helping Media Impact Funders ensure a thriving media landscape that serves the public interest. A huge thank you to outgoing leaders We extend our deepest gratitude to David Rousseau, Publisher and Executive director of KFF Health News, and Elizabeth Christopherson, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Rita Allen Foundation, for their incredible leadership as Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, since 2013. Their unwavering commitment to MIF’s mission will continue as they… Read More

In combination with our Snapshot of Global Journalism Funding report—which presents a targeted snapshot of the state of global journalism funding today and is based on a survey of media funders and conversations with funders and journalists—Dot Connector Studio, on behalf of Media Impact Funders, conducted additional research on how 25 of the top journalism funders are funding journalism around the world. We investigated the landscape of global media and journalism funding by exploring trends in recent top funder giving, and how funding is distributed in key geographical areas. This preliminary data shows us that journalism funding is a growing field, with prospects for further growth. Large journalism funders continue to concentrate efforts in North America, but funding in Europe and Africa remains a small but consistent percentage. In general, journalism funding is a small percentage of foundations’ overall giving, but media more generally makes up a larger slice. As definitions around “journalism” and “media” evolve and our world becomes increasingly digital, it’s likely that these percentages will shift. A note on terminology: For the purposes of this report, we use the taxonomy in Media Impact Funders’ grants data map, Foundation Maps for Media Funding, to define “journalism” and… Read More

Since its founding in 2019 by Elizabeth Green and John Thornton (founders of Chalkbeat and The Texas Tribune, respectively), the American Journalism Project has awarded $55.3 million in grants to 44 partner organizations across 33 states. Launched with a $20 million, 5-year commitment from John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, with additional support from Arnold Ventures, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, philanthropist Christopher Buck, Emerson Collective, and the Facebook Journalism Project, the Democracy Fund, and Erin and John Thornton, AJP has also launched four nonprofit news startups in areas severely affected by the disappearance of local news. With five years now under its belt, I sat down with AJP CEO Sarabeth Berman to talk about the wins and losses in the epic quest to build healthy information ecosystems in the U.S.—and what more needs to be done.  Nina Sachdev, Director of Communications, Media Impact Funders: Let’s talk about your approach to building the future of local news. For the people reading this who might not yet be funding journalism at the local level, how would you describe what you do? What does it mean to be a venture philanthropy, and why might that be unique… Read More

Last Spring, Emmy-nominated actor Jonathan Majors and his then-partner Grace Jabbari got into a domestic dispute that ended with Majors’ arrest. Shortly after the case made headlines a firestorm of online debate ensued. A groundswell of support grew for Majors—whose swift ascent to Hollywood stardom positioned him as an A-list celebrity—despite evidence of him assaulting and harassing Jabbari. But last month, Majors was found guilty of misdemeanor assault and harassment. After his conviction, Marvel Studios and The Walt Disney Company–which cast Majors as the villain in “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and in the “Loki” series–dropped him from all future projects. The verdict, along with the announcement from Marvel Studios and The Walt Disney Company, intensified the scrutiny of Jabbari. In the eyes of the public, her claims cost Majors his career; she became the suspect, and he the victim.  Unfortunately, this is how conversations about domestic violence typically play out in the media. People pick sides in the aftermath of a domestic dispute, casting some people as villains but never stopping to unpack the circumstances that led to the behavior in the first place. “If that is the extent of the… Read More

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, established in 1966 by Hewlett-Packard co-founder William Redington Hewlett and his wife Flora Lamson, has a rich history of media funding, one that’s about as old as the foundation itself. Starting with one of its first media grants to the organization now known as KQED, Hewlett has been supporting media, culture and communications in service to its commitment to high-quality, nonpartisan information for more than 50 years. A member and supporter of MIF since 2015, Hewlett is keen to deepen its understanding of effective media grantmaking outside of a dedicated portfolio. Here, the Hewlett communications team shares its thinking around support for media and information ecosystems, the importance of flexible funding, and the foundation’s role in Press Forward, the new $500 million initiative to support local news. Nina Sachdev, Director of Communications, Media Impact Funders: Let’s talk about the evolution in Hewlett’s media grantmaking strategy. What are some of the major takeaways and insights from… Read More

How can news leaders and funders work together to advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the journalism industry? In this MIF Member Briefing organized in partnership with the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), Inasmuch Foundation, The Joyce Foundation and the Pivot Fund, INN shared key findings from its latest DEI Index Report, which draws on survey responses and interviews with INN Network members to explore how DEI is reflected in the nonprofit news sector’s staffing and leadership, operations, engagement with underserved communities, and revenue patterns. Like the INN Index, the DEI Index Report aims to serve as a useful resource for the field, contributing to a much larger effort among journalists, researchers, funders and others to illuminate, discuss, innovate, and challenge the way DEI is and can be better reflected in the news industry. This session provided an overview of the research methodology of the DEI Index and key findings, as well as a discussion with newsroom leaders to share their experiences and observations on what’s needed to support DEI in news.   Speakers: Moumita Chakraborty, Director of Institutional Giving, Institute for Nonprofit News Susanna Dilliplane,… Read More

Earlier this month, I went to see a great documentary at DOCNYC about "Daily Show" co-creator Lizz Winstead’s organization, Abortion Access Front. The film, “No One Asked You,” by Ruth Leitman, was funny, full of joy and love, and captured what most of media has missed during this chaotic unraveling of abortion protections in the U.S.—the humanity of the nurses, doctors and escorts who work at abortion clinics in battleground states. Read More

This member briefing was organized in partnership with the American Journalism Project and the Lumina Foundation. 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. Across the country, community-based philanthropic organizations are tapping into the promise of local news, recognizing it as an important civic institution that needs strategic, focused support. In February, the American Journalism Project announced the Indiana Local News Initiative—a new, statewide news initiative funded by $10 million from a coalition of Indiana organizations and philanthropies. The initiative already has buy-in from Indiana-based news outlets, and will help launch two new news operations, including a Gary-based newsroom led by Capital B. In this conversation, Sarabeth Berman, CEO, American Journalism Project, moderated a discussion with Michael Ouimette, Chief Investment Officer at the American Journalism Project, Kevin Corcoran, Strategy Director at the Lumina Foundation and Lauren Williams, CEO and Co-Founder of Capital B. The conversation detailed the successful fundraising efforts around the Indiana Local News Initiative and the launch of Capital B’s forthcoming newsroom in Gary, Indiana. Watch the recording:  … Read More

For the past eight years, Sue Cross, Executive Director and CEO of the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), has led the organization in its pursuit to build a nonprofit news network across North America that ensures everyone in every community has access to trusted news and information. Since Cross’ start in 2015, INN has grown from a small consortium of nonprofit newsrooms into a growing network with more than 425 independent news organizations. Collectively, these newsrooms send 4,200-plus journalists into the field to tell stories that would otherwise go untold.  By the end of this year, Cross will step down from her role, with plans to continue supporting news reinvention while also pursuing a personal project. Ahead of her transition, Media Impact Funders Executive Director Vince Stehle sat down with Cross to discuss INN’s growth over the past eight years, the impact she’s had on the organization, and insights for funders in supporting the emerging and growing field of nonprofit news. At our annual Journalism Funders Gathering next month, Sue will be presenting tips to funders who want to find and support newsrooms leading the reinvention of news. Vince Stehle, Executive Director, Media Impact Funders:… Read More