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On June 22, MIF partnered with Press Forward for a Funder Briefing exploring their new white paper by Caroline Ross, “Catalytic Capital for Local News: Unlocking New Capital to Strengthen Civic Infrastructure.” Members can revisit the program in our Resource Library. Based on the presentation and questions asked during the call, we have compiled a quick list of further reading and associated efforts that we are tracking across the public service media sector. If you have something to add to this list, questions, or are interested in continuing this conversation with other members please email shannon@mediafunders.org. Quick Start – Definitions & FAQs (5-15 min reads) Impact Investing Key Terms: This glossary from the Appalachia Funders Network includes digestible definitions on the key terms that often arise when discussing catalytic capital. Frequently Asked Questions About Catalytic Capital: Published by The Catalytic Capital Consortium (C3), this FAQ covers the basic functions of catalytic capital, appropriate uses, how it relates to other kinds of impact investing and its relationship to philanthropy and traditional grantmaking. Catalytic Capital for Local News: A Guide for Funders: In this introductory guide, Press Forward offers a primer on catalytic capital—what it is,… Read More

Last week at the Grantmakers In Health conference in Baltimore, I brought something to life that I’ve been thinking about for nearly a decade: Media Impact Funders’ first-ever Media Grantmaking 101 workshop. For years, we’ve made the case that strong public-interest media is essential to achieving philanthropic goals. You know the refrain by now: Whatever your first issue is, media should be your second. But what happened in this room felt different. The 50+ health funders who joined us weren’t asking whether media belongs in their strategies. They were asking how. That shift feels significant. To help kick off the workshop, I asked two experienced media funders—Kate Shatzkin at Annie E. Casey Foundation and Taryn Fort (she/her) at The Colorado Health Foundation— to share their “why media funding” journeys, what the internal conversations looked like at their respective organizations, and the advice they’d give to a peer who was just starting out. Then, Marisol Bello from Housing Narrative Lab brought the practitioner perspective, talking about the impact philanthropic support can have on narrative storytelling. Participants worked through a hands-on exercise that took them from identifying a health challenge and the information gap making it worse, to choosing… Read More