As press freedom declines, philanthropy must address the safety, security of journalists around the world

Media philanthropy is a growing force on the global stage, with foundation support increasing significantly in recent years, more than doubling from $915 million in 2009 to $1.9 billion in 2015, the last year for which complete figures were available. Altogether, media grants amounted to about $9.9 billion in that span, according to a new report from Media Impact Funders—Global Media Philanthropy: What Funders Need to Know About Data, Trends and Pressing Issues Facing the Field. Read More

Next week marks the beginning of the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, the premier international platform for advancing entrepreneurial solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. (Follow #SkollWF on Twitter for updates on the Forum.) In the meantime, we were fortunate to get in touch with Nancy Lublin, founder & CEO of Crisis Text Line—one of the five recipients of this year's Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship Awards. Read More

The Media Impact Funders team has just returned from the 2019 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, where we convened a highly engaged group of media funders to discuss innovative new collaborations among funders and filmmakers, and social impact campaigns designed to move the needle at the community level. Read More

On May 10, we convened our annual Media Impact Forum at the American Philosophical Society—the home of America’s oldest learned society—in Philadelphia. From its earliest days, the American republic has relied on scientific inquiry to propel our nation forward, in all facets of our life–in commerce, national defense, social policy and creative expression, among many other areas. The meeting helped philanthropy focus on the special role of science in our national debates, the importance of sharpening the communications of science, and broader issues about understanding how and when communications and storytelling make a difference. Below, you’ll find video clips of each session. If you want the highlights, check out the thread we made for Twitter Moments. Or just read the notes here. And here are some more in-depth impressions from those who were there: One of our speakers, Ethan Zuckerman, director of the Center for Civic Media at MIT, posted his entire talk over on Medium. The gist? That Benjamin Franklin, in response to polarization and fake news, would say that these are not even remotely new concepts. Independent consultant Louise Lief wrote a nice recap for the Knight Foundation’s Trust, Media &… Read More

PARK CITY, Utah — When media funders talk about impact, what do they mean, and how do they demonstrate it? At the Sundance Film Festival, Media Impact Funders (MIF) released a new report, Funder Perspectives: Assessing Media Investments. It explores the multiple and sometimes overlapping lenses through which grantmakers view media evaluation, and confirms that there are still many unanswered questions. The report contributes to a growing dialogue about ways to quantify and qualify the impact of public interest media. Such examinations have stimulated debate among both funders and grantees. Read More