As funding for nonprofit journalism increases, how do we go from plans to action? How do we make the case for journalism funding to funders who think they can’t make media grants because of how their portfolios are structured, or who don’t know enough about the field to make impactful grants? How do we create on-ramps into the work of local journalism ecosystem building?
If you’re a funder and have one or more of these questions, this webinar is a great place to start. There is a lot of experience in the field of journalism funding, and we are eager to share that knowledge to as wide an audience as possible.
We heard from:
- LaMonte Guillory, Chief Communications Officer of the LOR Foundation, talked about how and why LOR partnered with the Solutions Journalism Network to bring local, solutions-oriented news to communities throughout the Intermountain West. People in rural areas have distrust of the local media, Guillory said. “People were fatigued with the reporting they were consuming.”
- Tyler Tokarczyk, Program Officer of Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation and Inasmuch Foundation, talked about his experiences with encouraging fellow funders to support Oklahoma Watch through the lens of a national journalism foundation and a place-based foundation. “We brought partners on as early as possible to build in long-term sustainability,” Tokarczyk said.
- Molly de Aguiar, President of the Independence Public Media Foundation and MIF board member, gave us an overview of the tools and resources funders new to this space should become familiar with. de Aguiar really stressed the importance of media’s role in changing people’s lives for the better. “Whatever your first issue is,” she said, “your second issue should be media.”
- Courtney Eshleman, Director of Development & Member Engagement at Media Impact Funders, gave a brief overview of NewsMatch, the matching-gift campaign to increase support for nonprofit news, and explained how foundations of all sizes can get involved in the turnkey platform.
- Norris West, Director of Strategic Communications at the Annie E. Casey Foundation and MIF board member, moderated the discussion.
Watch the webinar:
As part of our work with the Journalism Funders Network, we host webinars throughout the year to help funders find common points of entry to make their work effective and efficient through strategic partnerships. All funders can—and are encouraged to—participate in these calls even if they are not a part of the Journalism Funders Network. Learn more.
