OVERVIEW: The Park Foundation makes grants for civic engagement, democracy, media, environmental concerns, higher education, racial justice and animals. Funding is national in scope, but the state of New York and Tomkins County are geographic … [Read more...] about Park Foundation
Journalism
11th Hour Project
Good News for Los Angeles: Philanthropy Bolsters the Local Beat
Curve Foundation
Kaphan Foundation
OVERVIEW: The Kaphan Foundation supports a broad range of progressive causes in Seattle and nationally. IP TAKE: The Kaphan Foundation maintains a low profile, but tax filings indicate that it supports maintains interest in many progressive causes. … [Read more...] about Kaphan Foundation
Trust-Based Practices Top of Mind at Tech Billionaire Couple David and Angela Filo’s Foundation
It probably feels like it was a century ago, but we’re only several decades removed from a time when ambitious young entrepreneurs like Pierre Omidyar, Jeff Skoll and Tim Gill, flush with riches from the dot-com boom, kicked off the second … [Read more...] about Trust-Based Practices Top of Mind at Tech Billionaire Couple David and Angela Filo’s Foundation
Media Literacy Can Help Defang Disinformation. These Funders Are Backing It.
Just this past weekend, Elon Musk shared a deepfake video of Vice President — and presumptive Democratic nominee — Kamala Harris on his social media platform, X (formerly known as Twitter). The video, which was not labeled as AI-generated or … [Read more...] about Media Literacy Can Help Defang Disinformation. These Funders Are Backing It.
Why Hewlett’s Funding Fact-Based, Religion-Focused Media — and Why We Need More of That
How the Field Foundation of Illinois Supports Community Power-Building Throughout Chicago
In 2023, the MacArthur Foundation and the Chicago-based Field Foundation of Illinois, which distributes more than $10 million annually and works to address systemic issues in historically marginalized areas of Chicago, launched a new grantmaking … [Read more...] about How the Field Foundation of Illinois Supports Community Power-Building Throughout Chicago
Disinformation Poses a Serious Threat to Democracy. Here Are Some of the Funders Pushing Back
In a democracy that depends on the voting public being reasonably well informed, one the biggest threats to our system’s health and continued survival is the rampant spread of disinformation. While that threat has hung over U.S. democracy for some … [Read more...] about Disinformation Poses a Serious Threat to Democracy. Here Are Some of the Funders Pushing Back
A Closer Look at the Wyncote Foundation, From the Family Behind the William Penn Foundation
“Accountability Still Exists.” A Closer Look at a Place-Based Donor’s Historic Journalism Gift
One of the most important donor demographics in the media space is the top-of-the-pyramid, placed-based giver concerned about the state of the body politic. Their gifts, which range from $5 million to $20 million, often flow to journalism programs … [Read more...] about “Accountability Still Exists.” A Closer Look at a Place-Based Donor’s Historic Journalism Gift
Why Craig Newmark Is Concerned — and Hopeful — for American Democracy
Craig Newmark’s interests are wide ranging and eclectic, and include veterans and military families, journalism, food security, women in tech, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, pigeon rescue and comedy — not necessarily in that order. Newmark, … [Read more...] about Why Craig Newmark Is Concerned — and Hopeful — for American Democracy
What We’re Learning About How Funders Can Support Truth-Telling on the Border
“The hungry machine of us vs. them will tell you beauty doesn’t live in these badlands, but they’re wrong. Ask different questions. Ask the artists, the journalists, the migrant justice workers: What are you seeing and hearing?” — Rubi Orozco, Border … [Read more...] about What We’re Learning About How Funders Can Support Truth-Telling on the Border
“We’re Making Rapid Progress.” A Journalism Funding Leader Reflects on the State of Local News
The nonprofit Mississippi Today was founded in 2016 to provide free, nonpartisan coverage on an array of issues affecting the state’s residents. Three years later, the American Journalism Project (AJP), a venture philanthropy committed to … [Read more...] about “We’re Making Rapid Progress.” A Journalism Funding Leader Reflects on the State of Local News
More Than a Spokesperson: Why Foundations Are Prioritizing External Communications
The website of the L.A.-based Levitt Foundation has feature-film-quality clips of people singing, laughing and doing a conga line over the grass. The funding intermediary UpTogether produces a blog, video series and podcast designed to prove that … [Read more...] about More Than a Spokesperson: Why Foundations Are Prioritizing External Communications
A Conversation with Liz Carter, Outgoing President and CEO of the Scripps Howard Foundation
Liz Carter’s introduction to community journalism was in the late 1990s, just as the internet was beginning to transform the sector. After graduating from the University of Louisville with a bachelor’s degree in English, she and her husband settled … [Read more...] about A Conversation with Liz Carter, Outgoing President and CEO of the Scripps Howard Foundation
A Conversation with Karen Rundlet, Incoming CEO of the Institute for Nonprofit News
This morning, the Institute for Nonprofit News, which provides education and business support services to its nearly 450 member organizations, named Knight Foundation Senior Director Karen Rundlet its new CEO, replacing Sue Cross, whom I had the … [Read more...] about A Conversation with Karen Rundlet, Incoming CEO of the Institute for Nonprofit News
How This Nationwide Matching Gift Campaign Galvanizes Support for Nonprofit News Outlets
In a recent chat, outgoing Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) President and CEO Sue Cross said that when she assumed the role in 2015, most newsrooms were started by journalists with minimal nonprofit management experience. Now, in a testament to … [Read more...] about How This Nationwide Matching Gift Campaign Galvanizes Support for Nonprofit News Outlets
“A Pathway to Restoring Local News.” Field Leader Sue Cross on the State of Journalism Philanthropy
Founded in 2009 by 27 nonpartisan, nonprofit news organizations, the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) provides education and business support services to its member organizations and promotes the value of public-service and investigative … [Read more...] about “A Pathway to Restoring Local News.” Field Leader Sue Cross on the State of Journalism Philanthropy
How John Palfrey Is Leading MacArthur Into a New Era of Philanthropy
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on October 12, 2023. When John Palfrey was hired as the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s sixth president in 2019, the Chicago-based funding giant — and the sector for that matter — … [Read more...] about How John Palfrey Is Leading MacArthur Into a New Era of Philanthropy
As Funders Press Forward for Local Journalism, Doubts Persist Around the Role of Racial Equity
When the funders and organizers behind Press Forward finally unveiled their $500 million initiative to support local news earlier in September, reactions to the announcement may well have put them in mind of the old axiom that no good deed goes … [Read more...] about As Funders Press Forward for Local Journalism, Doubts Persist Around the Role of Racial Equity
An Expansive Survey Assesses Funders’ Surging Interest in Journalism — and Potential Growing Pains
Nonprofit news is having a moment. On August 23, Media Impact Funders (MIF) published the first comprehensive survey of journalism funders and nonprofit newsrooms since 2015 and found “strong growth in support for nonprofit news over the past five … [Read more...] about An Expansive Survey Assesses Funders’ Surging Interest in Journalism — and Potential Growing Pains
“Ask Yourself Those Hard Questions.” How — and Why — a Regional Funder Plans to Sunset
As philanthropy attempts to find its post-2020 footing, I’ve noticed how issues that were top of mind for leaders throughout that tumultuous year and its immediate aftermath have quietly receded to the background. The first is the push for greater … [Read more...] about “Ask Yourself Those Hard Questions.” How — and Why — a Regional Funder Plans to Sunset
Inside a Media Funding Partnership to Get the Word Out about Early Childhood
The U.S. is trapped in a fog of cognitive dissonance when it comes to what we know about what very young children need to thrive, and what we’re actually doing about it. Breakthroughs in brain science show that babies’ brains begin developing even … [Read more...] about Inside a Media Funding Partnership to Get the Word Out about Early Childhood
“Part of the Solution.” How the American Journalism Project Is Galvanizing Support from Local Funders
Back in May 2020, I spoke with Sarabeth Berman, who leads the American Journalism Project (AJP), an ambitious philanthropic initiative committed to helping local news outlets build sustainable business models built on a mix of earned income, public … [Read more...] about “Part of the Solution.” How the American Journalism Project Is Galvanizing Support from Local Funders
Journalists Are Questioning the Idea of Objectivity. What’s Philanthropy’s Role in the Conversation?
Arguably the biggest finding from our white paper on the state of journalism and public media funding was grantmakers’ desire to restore trust in the media. Given this fact, funding leaders may have felt a little despondent last October when Gallup … [Read more...] about Journalists Are Questioning the Idea of Objectivity. What’s Philanthropy’s Role in the Conversation?
Omidyar’s Latest Effort to “Reimagine Capitalism” — Funding Intrepid Journalists
Since its founding, the Omidyar Network has taken an unconventional approach to philanthropy.EBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife, Pamela, have mapped out a unique path for the organization, and one that other mega donors have followed to some … [Read more...] about Omidyar’s Latest Effort to “Reimagine Capitalism” — Funding Intrepid Journalists
Want Your Giving to Make the Most Impact? Donate to Local Media
Chances are, you are thinking hard about your choices this giving season. As leaders at two New York City news organizations focused on deep, impactful and useful coverage of local communities and issues, we know that many of our donors, just like … [Read more...] about Want Your Giving to Make the Most Impact? Donate to Local Media
This Philanthropy-Backed Initiative Gives Aspiring Critics of Color a Leg Up
For a writer striving to be heard — to contribute ideas and research to the public conversation with the aim of influencing culture and policy — an article published in the New York Times can be pivotal. But it’s hard to get a Times editor to respond … [Read more...] about This Philanthropy-Backed Initiative Gives Aspiring Critics of Color a Leg Up
