Media Impact Funders to strengthen support of local media with support from Knight Foundation

Philadelphia, PA—The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has awarded Media Impact Funders (MIF)—a member-supported network of funders who support media in the public interest—a $200,000 grant to identify and expand the number of community foundations, place-based foundations and other funders interested in supporting local news and information. With the spread of misinformation, deep cuts in local reporting and rapidly declining trust in the news media, there is an urgent need to increase philanthropic support for journalism. MIF, with its longstanding experience in cultivating a growing network of journalism funders and catalyzing their collaboration on a number of important projects, is uniquely positioned to address this challenge. “Media Impact Funders is grateful for the opportunity to strengthen our efforts to promote philanthropic support for journalism, particularly at this critical moment of great challenge to the free press,” says Vince Stehle, MIF’s executive director. The grant signals a strong continuing partnership between MIF and Knight Foundation; both organizations are committed to working toward stimulating media philanthropy by encouraging and working with more funders to support journalism and local media. Every year, the Knight Foundation hosts the Knight Media Forum, a gathering of funders and media leaders working to strengthen local… Read More

Over the past year, we've seen a notable uptick in interest among funders about the role they can play in supporting news and community information. To meet this need, we are pleased to share a newly updated version of Journalism and Media Grantmaking: Five Things You Need to Know and Five Ways to Get Started, produced with support from the Wyncote Foundation. Read More

Since October, MIF has been hosting a webinar series organized by Kelly Born of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation on how funders can support remedies for the deluge of false facts faced by news consumers. Read More

What can be said about President Trump that hasn’t already been said? With an overwhelming amount of news media coverage devoted to his every comment—whether on Twitter or IRL—it’s hard to even imagine waking up to a headline that’s not about him. And for the last year, we barely have. Read More

By Jessica Clark and Sarah Lutman Podcasting is burgeoning, as we document in a new report we wrote for the Knight Foundation, From Airwaves to Earbuds: Lessons from Knight Investments in Digital Audio and Podcasting. Digital distribution options are allowing media makers to bypass traditional radio broadcasters to reach listeners directly through a growing number of apps and non-broadcast networks. However, tracking the impact of these efforts is still a tough prospect—one that mirrors the challenges faced by many makers who create content for emerging platforms. Read More

By the American Press Institute As nonprofit funding of news grows, what are the best practices for ensuring editorial independence? Read More

It's been a rough month for the truth in America. Disputes over "alternative facts" from the White House on crowd size and voter fraud have been coupled with attempts to muzzle government agencies accustomed to sharing their research with the public. Scientists are gearing up to march on Washington, and even The Onion's satire about Sean Spicer's dissembling rings disturbingly true. Read More

Editor's note: This piece originally appeared on KnightBlog, the blog of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, on June 15, 2016.  Read More

The nonprofit news sector is having a really great year: Two beloved hometown newspapers on the brink of collapse were saved by a new nonprofit in January. Pulitzers were awarded for exceptional reporting in April. A new watchdog-focused outlet joined the fold this month. And this week, two sizable grants from two foundations known for their commitment to and preservation of journalism and media were announced. Read More