Member spotlight: Wyncote Foundation

The Wyncote Foundation, based in Philadelphia, was founded in 2009 with funds from the Otto and Phoebe Haas Charitable Trusts, at the direction of John C. Haas. A place-based funder, Wyncote is a strong player in the field of media philanthropy and believes deeply in supporting local communities by lifting up the stories and voices of those who are not usually heard in mainstream media. (In 2019, Wyncote made about $5 million in grants under its Public Media & Journalism program area.) On Wyncote’s funding strategy, Vice Chair David Haas—a decades-long supporter of MIF and former MIF Board Chair—said the foundation “takes an ecosystem approach, combining a strong commitment to accountability journalism with support for a range of community information needs and resources, creative storytelling, and independent media.” The foundation also works to inform and inspire other place-based funders. Over the years, it has produced several reports profiling local foundations’ grantmaking strategies and support for a range of media projects. Wyncote recently released a new report, “Culture, Heritage, and Place: How Media Amplifies Community Narratives,” which focuses on the work of media organizations across the U.S. dedicated to local and… 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

By Kimberly Sevcik | Director, International Engagement, ITVS Many of us who work in media believe that social documentaries and storytelling can change hearts and minds and even behavior—and with the field’s growing emphasis on impact measurement, Independent Television Service (ITVS) set out to prove it. Read More

As MIF’s staff packs up for next week’s Knight Media Forum, we’re pleased to share an on-point new report just out from the Wyncote Foundation: Investing in Local Journalism, Public Media, and Storytelling: Examples from Place-Based Foundations. Read More

WXPN’s 17th annual NonCommvention—considered the premier gathering place for noncommercial music radio stations, industry members and music fans—is under way at World Café Live in Philadelphia. Performers this year include Blondie, Ani DiFranco, the Pixies, Benjamin Booker, and more. Read More

Note: This piece was updated on Feb. 1 to reflect comments from David Haas, a board member for Media Impact Funders and a member of the board of managers for the Institute for Journalism in New Media. Last week, in a bold move to save Philadelphia’s three largest, most influential journalistic entities, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News and their main website, Philly.com, were donated to a philanthropic organization by their owner, H. F. “Gerry” Lenfest. 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

By Sarah Lutman The Wyncote Foundation releases a special report on digital innovation in cultural institutions. In its continuing effort to understand the non-profit public media sector, the Wyncote Foundation has released Like, Link, Share: How Cultural Institutions are Embracing Digital Technology. Read More

Communications are driving social change more than ever. Media Impact Funders held a morning breakfast conversation with Mary Lou Fulton, Senior Program Manager at The California Endowment; Martha Davis, Senior Program Officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; and Chris Hershey, Founder and President of Hershey Cause Communications to share insights about successful communications strategies that are shifting policy and opinion on issues like school discipline reform and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The Meetup was held during the Communications Network conference, Communications Matters (Oct. 8 – 10) to discuss the recently released Communications Strategies that Fast Track Policy Change, sponsored by The California Endowment. Read the Storify from the event. The breakfast was hosted by Mary Lou Fulton, Senior Program Manager, The California Endowment and David Haas, Vice Chair, The Wyncote Foundation and Chair, Media Impact Funders. Read More