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

The 2023 Media Impact Forum: Stories of Community served as an important reminder of the robust network of funders, storytellers, journalists, and others who understand the importance of media for healthy communities. Held at KQED headquarters in San Francisco, the Media Impact Forum focused on uplifting voices from the news outlets and media organizations that are deeply rooted in community. Uniquely positioned to reflect local concerns and surface appropriate solutions, media that’s created in and reflective of the communities it serves plays a vital role in our information ecosystem, providing the means for cultural expression, discussion, and debate. Read More

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 a discussion about how the media landscape is shifting, why philanthropic investment is necessary, and opportunities for collaboration. Philanthropy has long been critical in sustaining public interest media through the various stages of landscape shifts. Now as the country faces unprecedented polarization, rampant disinformation, and the overall erosion of trust in media, philanthropy must again shift—this time, to target investment in sustainable, scalable media companies and organizations. Across the board, media in the public interest is losing critical ground on emerging social platforms. Meanwhile, an insidious media infrastructure rooted in disinformation is gaining traction on emerging platforms such as TikTok, Twitch, and Discord. These efforts are building massive audiences while also misleading them with completely evidence-free narratives. The pathway is clear and the time is now—in order to protect democracy, we need a decentralized, innovative media ecosystem able to meet targeted audiences where they… Read More

The power of community was on full display last week at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, where MIF hosted JFunders22, the annual gathering of journalism funders. This network, which has not gathered in person since 2019, celebrated 20 years of journalism funders in community and connection. At the start of our two-day gathering, attendees were able to hear about the early years of this network, including the challenges and how they’ve evolved. Throughout this conference, funders who are supporting and leading some of the most important work in journalism today were able to dig deeper into funding strategies and questions, and were able to experience talks and discussions about what’s working, how and why it works, and how we can do more. Below, you’ll find recordings of each session in chronological order so that you can watch any portion of the day. Special Musical Performance Featuring Michelle Cann In conversation with: Michelle Cann, Pianist Bill Johnson, General Manager, WRTI Overview and Objectives for JFunders22 David Rousseau, Vice President, Media and Technology, Kaiser Family Foundation; Media Impact Funders Board Chair 20 Years… Read More

The 2022 Media Impact Forum: Stories for Justice, held at the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C., showcased media and dialogue about the ways in which funders can support storytelling as a powerful lever in the fight for equal justice. Below, you’ll find recordings of each session, links to resources, and transcripts for each session in chronological order so that you can watch any portion of the day. Also check out our 2022 Media Impact Forum photo album, which captures the excitement and energy of our network! Agenda Resourcing Voices from Around the World What is authentic storytelling? What are the best examples of effective philanthropic support? This expert panel showcased powerful examples of resourcing and sustaining voices and stories of justice from around the world, raising our awareness of the different approaches philanthropy can pursue to support equal justice. Cristi Hegranes, CEO & Publisher, Global Press Khadija Patel, Head of Programs, International Fund for Public Interest Media (on screen) Ivan Sigal, Executive Director, Global Voices Alex Jakana, Program Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Member of the Media Impact Funders Board of Directors (moderator) Relevant resources related to this discussion: Global Press… Read More

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 that program we explored the power of local radio to nurture cultural expression and build community, along with broader efforts of cultural organizations to use digital media to deliver content and programs. Read More

We didn’t get to have our annual funder meeting at Sundance, but we were eager to make space for our film funders to connect with each other and build in time to reflect on the film festival as a group. We also learned about a new field-building organization called the Color Congress. The organization, seeded through a pooled fund by the Ford Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation and Perspective Fund, aims to support transformational, mutually supportive work among people of color-led and serving organizations in the nonfiction and documentary field. Read More

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 projects. Read More

Earlier this month, Philadelphia’s reform-oriented District Attorney Larry Krasner cruised to a landslide victory in his bid for re-election, consolidating power behind his efforts to remake the criminal justice system in Pennsylvania’s largest city. For anyone interested in understanding how Krasner was able to gain that position and wield the power of that office, we have a remarkable account of his journey in "Philly DA," an eight-part PBS documentary series. The series debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, was originally broadcast in April nationally, and is going to be rebroadcast in some locations over the next couple weeks. In the meantime, viewers can watch anywhere on the PBS platform. Read More

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. Read More

In recent weeks, it seems like America has arrived at a crucial crossroads in its long and painful history of gun violence. In the wake of several high-profile mass shootings in Atlanta, in Boulder, Colo., and most recently, in Indianapolis, Ind., there is a growing sense of outrage and demand for solutions. And in Washington, for the first time in several years, political leadership in Congress and the White House is aligned in seeking to create new laws to rein in the worst aspects of American gun violence. So there is a glimmer of hope that Washington might make some progress on an issue that has been gridlocked for many years. Read More

The impact of polarization on American society cannot be overstated. It is increasingly affecting what we do (masks or no masks?), who we listen to (CNN or OANN?), and even how we think (fair or rigged election?). And the division is only deepening. These days, hostility to those with opposite views has reached a level in which hatred motivates voters more than their own beliefs. How can journalism, and the people who support it, address polarization in America? This year’s Knight Media Forum examined how local news innovators and their supporters are responding to some of these forces, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the national reckoning over systemic racism, and rampant disinformation that undermines the trust needed for democracy to function. KMF also highlighted business models that are gaining traction, and approaches to audience engagement that are changing local journalism from within. Media Impact Funders is offered funders a special preview of Knight Foundation’s 2021 Knight Media Forum. We heard from: S. Mitra Kalita, Co-founder, URL Media Susan Leath, Chief Operating Officer, The GroundTruth Project Moderated by Karen Rundlet, Director of Journalism, Knight Foundation This program was co-sponsored with Philanthropy New York. Watch the discussion:  … Read More

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 be inclusive, to inform, to connect, and to protect privacy. "These organizations show us that it doesn't have to be this way," said Alaphia Zoyab, advocacy director of Reset, who moderated the discussion. Read More