Abby Rapoport , Executive Director

You might say I started my journey as Executive Director of Media Impact Funders at an inauspicious time. Congress had just rescinded funding for public media and in the preceding months we’d seen massive federal funding cuts across USAID, science, arts and humanities. And of course all this played out as we grappled with the massive disrupting force that generative AI poses to the field. I was tremendously grateful for the opportunity to help steer an organization positioned to have outsized impact at a critical moment—and frankly I was also somewhat overwhelmed by that same opportunity. Luckily, I was fortunate to encounter an old friend whose advice was strident and simple: Start by listening. I was smart enough to recognize wise words, and I began my MIF tenure with a robust listening tour of more than 100 stakeholders—and in many ways that tour never ended. I still spend vast amounts of time on zoom, on the phone or over coffee, hearing from different media funders about what’s working or not working, what they’re most excited about or terrified to tackle. These conversations not only have helped us build the strategy that’s carried MIF through this first year of a new… Read More