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At the 2026 Media Impact Forum, MIF Executive Director Abby Rapoport opened with a powerful message for funders: the biggest risk facing public-interest media right now isn’t funding or political pressure—it’s a failure of imagination. What’s needed now is cross-sector, infrastructure-level thinking to chart a new and better path forward. Watch or read her remarks below.   At this gathering, we start with a seemingly basic premise: that media, in its many forms, is fundamental to the way that we as individuals connect to our communities and societies. As the central mechanism through which we connect, listen, learn and share, media creates our modern public square and in many ways our realities. And we recognize, like so many forward thinkers throughout the last 100 years of modern media, that this critical function cannot solely be left to commercial interests and market incentives. This past year has seen devastating federal funding cuts, profound technological disruption, journalists and media makers around the world killed without repercussion, and a number of once respected for-profit news outlets seemingly kowtowing to political pressure. At least in the short-term, a lot rests on philanthropy’s ability—your ability—to fill the gap that’s been left by others, to… Read More

In advance of this year’s Media Impact Forum, our staff has compiled a list of reports, articles and recorded programs to help prepare attendees for the event. These are some of the articles and tools that our programming team had in mind when putting together the conference, and also cover earlier conversations that we will build on at the Forum. We will be adding to this list in the lead-up to May 28. Not attending the Forum? The materials here speak to the dominant themes and ideas that will be presented on stage, but will also be key parts of the conversations and events funders can expect from MIF in the coming months. If you have any questions about the links included here, would like more information or have an item you think we should add to the list, please reach out to shannon@mediafunders.org. Media Infrastructure & Sustainability Rebuilding Local Journalism at Scale: A Field-Level Analysis of Infrastructure Needs. Published earlier this year by MIF, this report provides an analysis of the structural constraints shaping the future of local journalism What Comes Next? The Conversation Emerging Around “Rebuilding Local Journalism at Scale” – a follow-up piece… Read More

As part of Media Impact Funders’ programming on the Future of Public Media (one of our core pillars), we recently hosted an urgent conversation on the role of PBS Kids and public interest children’s media in the aftermath of massive cuts to federal funding and a field increasingly shaped by commercial incentives. The briefing spotlighted the historic role PBS Kids and its production partners have played in delivering research-based educational content for young audiences and ways that funders can help sustain this unique work. Below, you’ll find key takeaways from the program, a brief list of options for funders looking to deepen their engagement, and opportunities to join working sessions next month and in the summer. Please email Shannon Thomas at shannon@mediafunders.org if you would like to get involved in this work. MIF is committed to supporting this critical issue with members and interested funders. We are grateful to our partners: Grantmakers for Education, the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative and Grantmakers for Thriving Youth. And thanks again to the program speakers: Gregg Behr, Executive Director, The Grable Foundation, Sara DeWitt, Senior VP & General Manager, PBS Kids & Education, Jenn Hoos Rothberg, Executive Director,… Read More