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Background & Priorities
In November 2017, MIF members gathered in advance of a National Academy of Sciences meeting on science communications to discuss opportunities for collaboration and issues facing the field.
Together, attendees developed the following series of priorities in the effort to connect science with people from different backgrounds, experiences and education levels:
- Better defining and developing evaluation and measurement strategies, and concrete outcomes
- Building connections between research and practice—including designing useful experiments and applying findings from research in communications practice
- Connecting science with a broader array of people through the use of popular culture, art and creative spaces
- Understanding audiences and tailoring messages and frames accordingly
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Programming
In response to this agenda, and with continued support from the Rita Allen Foundation, we have organized a slate of programming that addresses needs identified by the field.
They include:
- An overview of the Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Public Face of Science, a multi-year project that explores the intersection of science and civic life, and highlights research on public attitudes. Learn more.
- A webinar series, in collaboration with the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, focusing on combating misinformation and addressing the themes of information production, distribution, and consumption. Learn more.
- A webinar on how funders are using popular culture media forms—books, films, new media, radio, television, and theater—to elevate the public’s understanding of science. Learn more.
- A full-day symposium to provide in-person opportunities for funders to network, learn and discuss the issues of science communications and the communication of science.
- The 2018 Media Impact Forum, which focused on two distinct but related topics: excellent practice in the communication of scientific information, and new ideas in the science of communications. Learn more.
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Key Resources
Learn more about how to support productive engagement with science.
Here are some essential resources:
Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science
Upcoming Science Communication Funders Network Events
As an event-driven organization, we’re constantly bringing changemakers together, whether in-person or online, to make strategic connections with like-minded professionals. Browse through our upcoming events related to this network.
Learn More
News From the Field
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