WATCH: The 2020 Journalism Funders Gathering

Last week, we convened our peers for our annual journalism funders gathering to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing journalism—and our nation—today. We hope that our two days of programming and breakout sessions introduced you to new people, new ideas, and a new way forward. We are so grateful to the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation and Independence Public Media Foundation for sponsoring our first online journalism funders conference. (And special thanks to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Henry L. Hillman Foundation, and the Rita Allen Foundation for their support.) Zoom fatigue is real, and we are that much more grateful for the network’s participation our virtual format. We also know that many of you are juggling work and other family responsibilities, whether it’s your kids’ remote learning or caring for a loved one. Because of that, we’ve recorded all of our plenary discussions so that you can watch them at a time that’s more convenient for you. As we grapple with seemingly growing efforts to spread lies online, persistent issues preventing the advancement of newsroom culture, and what we need to do now to ensure a more equitable media ecosystem in the future, we hope you’ll… Read More

Washington, D.C. (Feb. 12, 2019): NewsMatch raised $7.6 million from individual donors and a coalition of major funders for nonprofit news organizations in two months at the end of 2018. During the largest-ever grassroots fundraising campaign to support local news, over 240,000 people gave to 154 newsrooms between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31. More than 50,000 new donors supported a nonprofit newsroom for the first time. Read More

Early reports suggest that NewsMatch, a funder collaboration to promote individual giving to journalism and capacity-building at nonprofit news organizations, is on track to break last year’s record of nearly $5 million raised. As of this Tuesday, organizers say the number of individual small-dollar donations on NewsMatch.org has tripled compared to last year’s campaign. Through Dec. 31, the campaign will match individual donations of $1,000 or less, up to $25,000 per newsroom, to 155 participating nonprofit news organizations. Go to NewsMatch.org to search for participating newsrooms by geographic community or topic of interest. There’s still time for funders to join the effort, especially if you have dollars left in your 2018 budget. In fact, in 2017 two key funders, the Rita Allen Foundation and the News Integrity Initiative, joined last year’s effort in mid-December. Josh Stearns, director of the Public Square Program at the Democracy Fund, said funders can contribute to the national NewsMatch fund or easily set up a targeted matching fund that relates to your foundation’s strategy and focus. The Miami Foundation handles all the due diligence and grant agreements making it administratively easy for partners, who can disburse grants in 2018 that will be paid out… Read More

This week, Media Impact Funders continued its series of funder conversations to connect grantmakers with research, strategy and practice in science communications with its latest webinar that attempts to understand how behavioral science can help curb the spread of misinformation. Watch the webinar here and use the time stamps below to follow along in the recording: The webinar featured: Vince Stehle (1:21), executive director of Media Impact Funders, who provided context for the discussion, outlining four areas of concern for funders looking to understand and stop the spread of misinformation and disinformation online: 1. Better definitions of evaluation 2. The use of popular culture to communicate with new and diverse audiences 3. Better understanding audiences. 4. Building connections between research and practice. Elizabeth Christopherson (3:46), president of the Rita Allen Foundation and vice chair of MIF, who talked about the foundation’s perspective on understanding and combating misinformation, and the Misinformation Solutions Forum it organized in collaboration with the Aspen Institute. The Forum brought together academic researchers, technology professionals, data scientists, journalists, educators, community leaders, funders and 12 graduate student fellows to explore six promising ideas for curbing the spread of misinformation. Read more about the Misinformation Solutions Forum. Read More

Last week, Media Impact Funders continued its series of funder conversations to connect grantmakers with research, strategy and practice in science communications with its latest webinar organized around two upcoming convenings: SMASH (Science Media Awards & Summit in the Hub) and WGBH Innovation IdeaLab. We invited speakers from these two science media conferences to discuss the question we’ve been exploring for over a year now: For funders who care about science and civic life, how do we reach new and diverse audiences with science content that sparks curiosity and learning? Watch the webinar here and use the time stamps below to follow along in the recording: The webinar featured: Kaitlin Yarnall (2:43), senior vice president for Media Innovation at the National Geographic Society, who provided an overview of the discussion and context for its importance John Bredar (5:34), vice president of national programming at WGBH, who provided an overview of the SMASH convening and its objective to increase science literacy to diverse audiences. Adnaan Wasey (11:49), Rita Allen Fellow for Science Communication, who spoke about his work around developing innovative methods to engage new audiences and reaching nonelite audiences through entertainment media. Read More

We know that science is at the center of contentious debate on a number of issues such as climate change and vaccine safety. But if The Big Bang Theory—America’s most popular sitcom about a group of lovable physicists—is a testament to anything, it’s that science is also a welcome and inescapable part of people’s lives. And funders who care about science and civic life want to make sure this positive trend continues. The question is: How do we continue reaching new and diverse audiences with science content that sparks curiosity and learning? 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

Last month, Media Impact Funders, in collaboration with the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the Rita Allen Foundation, presented a webinar on The Public Face of Science, a new multi-year project to explore the intersection of science and civic life, and advance our understanding of the public’s view on science. The webinar offered funders a preview of soon-to-be published research and the opportunity to hear from two advisors to the project, Dr. Kathleen Hall Jamieson from the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Arthur (Skip) Lupia of the University of Michigan. Read More

Agenda 9 a.m.—Welcome and Introductions   Vince Stehle, Executive Director, Media Impact Funders David Rousseau, Vice President and Executive Director, Media & Technology, The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation 9:15 a.m.—Returning to Public Media’s Roots A conversation with NPR’s founding architect and one of today’s leading public radio reporters on how public media has served us for the last 50 years and where it will take us in the future. Bill Siemering, President, Developing Radio Partners Korva Coleman, Newscaster, NPR 9:45 a.m.—Policy Visions, Platform Realities How have the founding policy visions for public broadcasting translated into current cross-platform efforts to serve all Americans with news, education and insight? Korva Coleman, Newscaster, NPR (moderator) Michael Copps, former Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Thomas Hjelm, Chief Digital Officer, NPR 10:30 a.m.—Spectrum Auction: The First $2 Billion  With federal cuts looming, the spectrum auction may breathe life into local news and the public sphere. What are the plans for the first $2 billion? How much of it will go to public media? Tim Isgitt, Managing Director, Humanity United Patrick Butler, President and Chief Executive Officer, America’s Public Television Stations 10:50 a.m.—Networking Break   11:20 a.m.—Tech… Read More