Giving Compass' Take:

• Diana Barrett, founder and president of the Fledgling Fund, shares why donors should take risks when it comes to funding virtual reality projects.

• Barrett admits that it can be challenging to fund technology-based projects because it is a rapidly changing field and impact can be difficult to measure. However, she believes donors need to become more comfortable with uncertainty and risk to make a difference. 

• Read more about using virtual reality to teach empathy.

People often ask me how, as a funder in the social issue documentary space, we are thinking about new forms and new technologies. It is a great question but doesn’t really have an easy answer. At the very least, we’re trying to understand the terms and the definitions.

Many projects grouped under the umbrella of “virtual reality” are in fact 360 videos, shot with various degrees of sophistication and very different than VR that is built on a gaming platform. At some level that is semantics, but still an important distinction, I think.

We hear the term “empathy” a great deal. This seems to be the catchword of choice. But, I’m not at all convinced that a VR project can increase empathy, which is a complex emotion, not easily or quickly elicited. I suspect that no one medium increases empathy; it must be elicited over time using a range of stimuli. Different stories engage the brain in different ways and considerably more research is needed to inform production.

As funders, we are challenged. The technology is new and rapidly changing. Costs are high and impact is not proven or fully understood. As a small funder, the challenge is greater. Do we get involved, and if so, where is the most effective leverage point? The breadth of experiences is enormous, the possibilities seemingly endless. And, I think at this stage in the field’s evolution, there needs to be a comfort level with risk and uncertainty.

We have determined that the best approach for us is to continue to explore, to ask questions, to talk to makers, researchers, technologists, and other funders in an effort to better understand the field, the work, the potential impact and the funding needs.

Read the full article about virtual reality by Diana Barrett at Media Impact Funders.