News & ResourcesResource Library

Our resource library includes frameworks, research, tip sheets, case studies and more to help you think through how to do your work more effectively.

Please check back frequently as we continue to build out these materials. Is there a resource you'd like to see? Contact Shannon Thomas, Manager of Member Engagement: shannon@mediafunders.org.

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
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

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
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