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

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? Read More

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.  Read More

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 out, holding our attention is part of the business model. Unfortunately, that model is based on algorithms that: 1. Are accused of being biased and disproportionately affect people of color 2. Allow for the rapid spread of misinformation and disinformation and 3. Undercut real, actual journalism. And all of this is wreaking havoc on democracies around the world, including ours. Read More

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 month, we compile the latest impact-specific headlines and write original case studies and analyses to share in our Tracking Media Impact newsletter. We also feature the latest and most popular impact assessment frameworks and tools in a searchable database on our website. This work eventually led to the publishing of Decoding Media Impact, our comprehensive report analyzing the current state of media impact assessment. The report was also informed in part by a convening with leading practitioners in which we asked them to identify best practices, assess the state of practice more broadly, and explore new ways of doing media impact assessment. Since then, we’ve explored the latest developments in impact production, including the effects that COVID-19 has had on the critical role of the impact producer. Our goal with this working group is to explore how funders can… Read More

As parents and teachers around the country adjust to a new year of largely remote schooling, many are looking for resources to teach effectively about a variety of topics. In the absence of hands-on science classes, parents and teachers can turn to the educational impact campaign associated with “Inventing Tomorrow,” a Peabody Award-winning film that has captured our hearts and minds since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival back in 2018. Directed by Laura Nix, “Inventing Tomorrow” follows high school scientists from India, Hawaii, Mexico and Indonesia—all driven to solve real environmental problems in their own communities—on their journeys to the International Science and Engineering Festival. The classroom materials use the stories of the students in the film to inform lessons for middle and high school students. The film’s educational resources include a remote-learning toolkit and a series of virtual teacher town halls, held in partnership with PBS and HHMI Tangled Bank Studios (the editorially independent production company of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which also served as co-producer on the film). HHMI Tangled Bank Studios was deeply involved as a partner in the project, and—among many other things—the partnership is enabling the… Read More

As protests for racial justice continue in cities across the U.S., more and more institutions are publicly reckoning with their own roles in perpetuating systemic racism. In the journalism space, a debate about the concept of objectivity is raging: whose view is considered “objective”? Do “both sides” of an issue always demand equal weight? Some journalists are questioning the concept of “objectivity” altogether, and opting for “moral clarity” instead. Within philanthropy, foundations are being called upon to explore and correct their roles in upholding inequity. Read More

Children’s early learning and brain development are subjects that I have always cared deeply about. But now, as the mother of three little ones, these subjects have taken on a much more personal significance. I marvel every day at the connections my daughter and two sons are making and all that they are absorbing from engaging and interacting with the world around them. Read More

From our earliest days, the Pulitzer Center has been committed to the notion that, for quality news to continue to be relevant in the United States, we must commit in equal measure to supporting more of the best work but also to building the audience for that work.  Read More

Last week in Boulder, CO, we held a meeting to explore philanthropy’s role in amplifying attention to our global environmental crisis. It was 25 degrees and snowing, but thankfully we didn’t have to walk far from our hotel to eTown, our gracious host for the daylong gathering. The day before, the high temperature reached a pleasant 68. Not that we need any more reminders about the need to take climate action, right? Read More

Media Impact Funders has joined 18 philanthropic and nonprofit organizations to present a series of free online diversity, equity, access and inclusion training sessions on the nuts and bolts of how PSOs and foundations and their grantees can include people with disabilities from all backgrounds in their work. The series is hosted by RespectAbility, a nonprofit that fights stigmas around disability and advances opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community. Read More

“Scale"—too often this is the bane of a grantee’s or evaluator’s existence when it comes to assessing the social impact of media projects. Why are funders so stuck on this concept, and what other impact models might matter more? As we’ve been reviewing materials we’ve gathered on media impact over the past several years, these questions have popped up time and again. Read More

As part of a new strategic direction informed by a yearlong review of our organization, we've been tasked with outlining learning priorities for the year and beyond. We have identified the following priorities: Making the case for media funding Assessing the impact of media funding Understanding the importance of evidence-based science communications activities Presenting/identifying funding models & best practices for supporting local journalism Read More