News & ResourcesResource Library

Resource Library

Funders are making decisions in a rapidly changing media landscape that’s increasingly fragmented and difficult to navigate. The MIF resource library exists to make sense of that complexity—with research, tools, frameworks, videos and more to help you think through how to do your work more effectively.

Start with a Learning Pillar Hub—four issue areas that reflect the most pressing strategic questions shaping the media ecosystem today—or browse the full library by topic, format, or focus area.

Members get exclusive access to resources such as tip sheets and network call recordings to stay up to date on the latest trends and strategies in media funding.

Learning Pillar Hubs

MIF’s work is organized around a set of thematic pillars that reflect the core challenges and opportunities facing media funders today. Each of these learning hubs brings together resources related to each pillar, making it easier to stay oriented over time. These hubs are updated continuously as new work, insights and conversations emerge.

Future of Public Media

Supporting funders working to strengthen public media as a trusted, resilient civic institution. This includes questions of sustainability, governance, innovation and public service in a rapidly evolving media environment.

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Platforms & Audience Reach

Helping funders understand how platforms, algorithms and distribution systems shape who sees and trusts information, and what it takes for public-interest media to reach and engage audiences today.

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Effective Philanthropic Practice

Advancing shared learning about best practices in funding media effectively.

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Safeguarding Media & Journalism

Addressing the threats facing independent media and journalism, including political pressure, legal risk, safety concerns and challenges to press freedom, integrity and trust.

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Resource Library

Best Practices for Supporting Elections & Democracy Reporting

In a session from the 2023 Journalism Funders Gathering, Angelica Das, Director of Equitable Journalism at Democracy Fund, shares best practices for supporting elections and democracy reporting. Drawing on data from a community listening project with Democracy Fund grantees, Das outlines concrete ways funders can shift their approach to…
Source: Democracy Fund
Civic Engagement/Civic Information • Democracy/Free Expression • Effective Grantmaking Practice
Best Practices for Supporting Elections & Democracy Reporting

Civic Information Index

An interactive map that allows you to investigate a community’s civic health
Source: Press Forward, Listening Post Collective, & Information Futures Lab
Civic Engagement/Civic Information • Democracy/Free Expression • Local Journalism
Civic Information Index

Communication Matters

One of the original models from the Communications Network, this framework was built on extensive research across the social sector to support communication practitioners. Informed in part by communications leaders in philanthropy, the model organizes communications attributes across four key dimensions: Brand, Culture, Strategy, and Action. Use This Guide To:…
Source: The Communications Network
Effective Grantmaking Practice
Communication Matters
Members Only

Four Station Leaders on Supporting Public Media Through Its Most Significant Shift in Decades

At our second network meeting in Dec. 2025, public media station leaders from communities across the country shared what they’re experiencing on the ground, what they need to move forward, and how funders can most effectively engage in the wake of Congress’s July 2025 vote to rescind federal…
Source: Media Impact Funders
Civic Engagement/Civic Information • Platforms & Audience • Public Media
Four Station Leaders on Supporting Public Media Through Its Most Significant Shift in Decades
Members Only

From Pop Culture to Public Benefit: Funding Entertainment that Creates Change

Our Nov. 2025 network meeting featured a discussion with Luminate’s Kristel Muciño, Cinereach’s Candice McFarlane, and Common Era’s Yonah Schiller on how philanthropy can strategically engage in the public-benefit entertainment space. We talked about what public-benefit entertainment is, why it matters, and how funders can use it to advance…
Source: Media Impact Funders
Effective Grantmaking Practice • Impact Evaluation • Platforms & Audience
From Pop Culture to Public Benefit: Funding Entertainment that Creates Change
Members Only

Navigating Legal Boundaries in Media Support & Advocacy

In today’s shifting legal and policy landscape, funders and practitioners face complex questions about what is—and isn’t—permissible when supporting media and journalism. This meeting offered practical guidance across two key areas: Initiatives related to diversity, equity and inclusion: What types of funding are permissible in light of recent…
Effective Grantmaking Practice • Safety & Security
Navigating Legal Boundaries in Media Support & Advocacy
Members Only

Options for Responding to Emergency Funding Needs

Our Oct. 2025 network meeting featured a discussion between MIF Members Sarabeth Berman, CEO of American Journalism Project (AJP) and Liz Baker, Senior Director of Public Engagement at Humanity United (HU) on how funders can think about grantmaking for organizations facing financial emergencies and…
Source: Media Impact Funders
Effective Grantmaking Practice • International Journalism • Safety & Security
Options for Responding to Emergency Funding Needs
Members Only

Public Media Bridge Fund Q&A Session

The announcement of the Public Media Bridge Fund marks a critical next step in protecting public media at a time of system-wide risk, as evidenced by Knight Foundation’s leadership in supporting this catalytic effort. Designed to provide immediate emergency support to the most vulnerable stations while also laying the…
Effective Grantmaking Practice • Local Journalism • Public Media
Public Media Bridge Fund Q&A Session

Recommended Safety Organizations & Resources

MIF created this tool for funders seeking to expand their journalist and filmmaker safety and press freedom strategies, as well as their grantee resources. The database is comprised of organizations, resources, tools, and emergency funding opportunities sourced from MIF members, colleagues and leading safety and security practitioners—though it is not…
Source: Media Impact Funders
Democracy/Free Expression • Immigration • Safety & Security
Recommended Safety Organizations & Resources
Members Only

Safeguarding Journalism in a Time of Escalation

Our Feb. 2026 network meeting focused on how grantmakers can support and protect newsrooms and journalists, particularly when ICE mounts major operations. We grounded the conversation in Minnesota, while also examining how communities across the country are deploying different strategies in response. Panelists shared what they’ve learned from supporting…
Immigration • Local Journalism • Safety & Security
Safeguarding Journalism in a Time of Escalation
Members Only

Strategies for Supporting Narrative Change Work

Our Jan. 2026 network meeting furthered conversations we’ve been having around support for public-benefit media, strategies for reaching new and different audiences, and the role of platforms and distribution in funding decisions. The discussion featured two narrative change funders focused on climate media: Ricky Benavidez, Director…
Source: Media Impact Funders
Effective Grantmaking Practice • Environment/Climate • Impact Evaluation
Strategies for Supporting Narrative Change Work
Members Only

The New Realities of Documentary Funding

This meeting examined the current state of documentary public media, including how federal funding cuts have affected the sector, and opportunities for funders to engage and support this work. Featured Speakers: Carrie Lozano, President & CEO, ITVS Lauren Pabst, Senior Program Officer, MacArthur Foundation…
Effective Grantmaking Practice • Public Media
The New Realities of Documentary Funding

The Power of Narrative and the Playbooks Shaping Public Opinion

As polarization intensifies across the U.S., philanthropy must understand how media ecosystems—and the narratives they advance—shape public opinion, identity and civic engagement. Protagonist’s Rita Parhad and Sydney Apple spent -years researching both right-wing and left-wing media ecosystems in a project funded by the Lumina Foundation. At the 2025…
Source: Protagonist
Civic Engagement/Civic Information • Misinformation/Disinformation • Platforms & Audience
The Power of Narrative and the Playbooks Shaping Public Opinion

Unlocking U.S. audience demand for international news

This study, written by former Global Press CEO Cristi Hegranes and COO Laxmi Parthasarathy, reveals significant untapped demand for higher-quality international journalism among U.S. readers across diverse demographics, including noncitizen, diaspora, and migrant populations. Drawing on a rigorous methodology—including a nationwide survey of more than 1,200 U.S.-based international news readers,…
Source: Media Impact Funders
Democracy/Free Expression • Effective Grantmaking Practice • International Journalism
Unlocking U.S. audience demand for international news
Members Only

Where Stories Meet Audiences: Opportunities for Funders in the Evolving Platform Landscape

Our Dec. 2025 network meeting continued MIF’s series on public-benefit entertainment with an academic perspective on social media platform evolution. Ethan Zuckerman—Associate Professor of Public Policy, Communications, and Information at the University of Massachusetts Amherst—traced the development of today’s siloed social media landscape and identified…
Source: Media Impact Funders
Civic Engagement/Civic Information • Misinformation/Disinformation • Platforms & Audience
Where Stories Meet Audiences: Opportunities for Funders in the Evolving Platform Landscape