Giving Compass' Take:

• Jessica Clark and Sarah Armour-Jones explain why foundations should care about the state of global media funding based on recent data. 

• How can foundations raise awareness about the need for media funding? 

• Read the full research report. 

Parachuting in is out.

That’s one key takeaway from a new report from Media Impact Funders that we’re excited to release this week: Global Media Philanthropy: What Funders Need to Know About Data, Trends and Pressing Issues Facing the Field. Produced with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, this scan of global media philanthropy synthesizes many months of interviews, surveys and analyses on our part, as well as offering trenchant perspectives from experts working across the globe.

For funders based in America, issues related to supporting media projects, policy and infrastructure halfway across the world might seem a bit remote. But in truth, foundations everywhere are grappling with many of the same concerns, and issues “over there” are connected to the same issues affecting media in the U.S.:

  • Incorporating insights from the ground up: One message we heard from multiple sources is that foundations too often make decisions from on high, without gathering useful input from grantees and intermediaries in the trenches.
  • Making the case for—or perhaps against—nonprofit news: While U.S. funders have been taking the lead in supporting and expanding nonprofit journalism, foundations in Europe have begun to pick up the baton.
  • Protecting public media: Here at home, the president’s most recent budget proposal threatens to slash funding for public broadcasting. Around the world, public service broadcasting (PSB) is facing similar issues, as well as fighting off government interference in coverage.
  • Keeping grantees safe: For the first time in a long while, American journalists and outlets are facing threats to free speech and personal safety that had previously been associated with countries where democracy is less entrenched. What’s more, there are pressing new dangers related to cybersecurity and online privacy.
  • Fostering collaboration: Just as U.S. funders are seeking to better understand and support local news ecosystems, funders around the world are learning how to identify and support coalitions dedicated to strengthening media in particular countries.

Read the full article about global media funding by Jessica Clark and Sarah Armour-Jones at Media Impact Funders.