Journalism and Media Grant Making: 5 Things You Need to Know, 5 Ways to Get Started

Authors: Michele McLellan and Eric Newton
Published: February 21, 2011
Abstract: This booklet is a quick primer for foundations interested in making media, journalism or community-information grants. Aimed at foundations with little or no experience in this field, it is based on the experiences of the leaders of dozens of foundations that have funded local news and information projects. Many of us started out somewhat perplexed by the constantly shifting digital media landscape. Now, our experience and projects can provide inspiration and know-how (plus a few cautions) to help you start on news and information grant making.

Link: Journalism and Media Grantmaking (Feb. 15, 2011)

2011 Reports From The Field: Community and Place-based Foundations and the Knight Community Information Challenge

Authors: FSG
Published: February 21, 2011
Abstract: In this second annual publication of Reports from the Field, published by Knight Foundation and FSG, we share with you what we’re learning about how communities are becoming more informed and engaged and what roles community and place-based foundations are playing in advancing this effort.

Link: Reports from the Fields 2011 by FSG

Knight Community Information Toolkit - Version 1.0

Author: The Monitor Institute
Published: February 14, 2011
Abstract: The Community Information Toolkit will help community leaders like you harness the power of information to advance their goals for a better community. It offers a process and a simple, easy-to-use set of tools to help you take stock of your community’s news and information flow and take action to improve it.

Link: http://www.infotoolkit.org

Impact: A Guide to Evaluating Your Community Information Project

Author: FSG
Published: February 14, 2011
Abstract: Community information projects share a desire to inform and/or engage their communities. Most of these news and media projects take advantage of online, digital forms of communication (e.g., websites, Facebook groups or wikis), which in some cases is also integrate with offline approaches to sharing information and connecting people.

Link: http://www.knightfoundation.org/publications/impact-practical-guide-evaluating-community-inform

Opportunities for Foundation Leadership: Meeting Community Information Needs

Author: FSG Social Impact Advisers
Published: January 2011
Abstract: When three community foundations launched their Challenge projects, they aimed to inform and engage their communities. In the process, they also strengthened their leadership roles. Hear from foundation officials about their stories in this video, and read the case studies.

Link: http://www.knightfoundation.org/leadership

Measuring the Online Impact of Your Information Projects

Author: Dana Chinn, USC Annenberg School for Communication
Published: September 30, 2010
Abstract: FSG and Dana Chinn reviewed 15 websites funded by the Knight Community Information Challenge. Our intent was (1) to build a better understanding of how funders and their implementation partners were reaching and engaging audiences online through websites and social media, and (2) to identify metrics that would be relevant and meaningful for understanding the progress and impact of projects for which creating more informed and engaged communities is the goal.

Link: http://www.knightfoundation.org/publications/measuring-online-impact-your-information-projects

Community and Place-Based Foundations and the KCIC

Author: FSG Social Impact Advisors
Published: March 3, 2010
Abstract: This brief explores how, through the Knight Community Information Challenge, place-based foundations are incorporating community information needs into their work for the benefit both of their communities and their own strategies and missions.

Link: http://www.knightfoundation.org/publications/community-and-place-based-foundations-and-kcic

The State of Funding in Information and Media Among Community and Place-based Foundations

Author: FSG
Published: Oct 18, 2010
Abstract: National and local leaders have become increasingly concerned about the overall health of local information systems, and the impact this will have on the vitality of communities and the ability of individuals to meaningfully engage in democratic processes. The survey gives us a snapshot of the current state of the field. Over time, we will continue to collect data...

Link: http://www.knightfoundation.org/publications/state-funding-information-and-media-among-communit

REPORTS OF THE KNIGHT COMMISSION

Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age

Published: April 2009

Authors: Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Demoracy with co-chairs Marissa Mayer and Theodore B. Olson

Abstract: The Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy believes America is at a critical juncture. Information technology is changing our lives in ways that we cannot easily foresee. Critical intermediating practices—journalism perhaps most obviously—are facing challenges of economics, organization, and values. As dramatic as the impacts have been already, they are just beginning. How we react, individually and collectively, to the information challenges and opportunities now presented to us will affect the quality of our lives and the very nature of our communities.

Link: http://www.knightcomm.org/read-the-report-and-comment/

More Knight Commission reports:

• Universal Broadband: Targeting Investments to Deliver Broadband Services to All Americans (Sept. 2010 by Blair Levin) outlines the steps necessary to make basic broadband available to all Americans, regardless of location.

• Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action (Nov. 10, 2010 by Renee Hobbs) proposes a detailed plan that positions digital and media literacy as an essential life skill and outlines steps that policymakers, educators, and community advocates can take to help Americans thrive in the digital age.

• Rethinking Public Media: More Local, More Inclusive, More Interactive (Dec. 8, 2010 by Barbara Cochran) offers five broad strategies and 21 specific recommendations to reform public media. The strategies include strengthening local news operations, sharing digital platforms among public entities, recruiting more diverse workforces, and reforming public media structures.

• Creating Local Online Hubs: Three Models for Action: (Feb. 24, 2011 by Adam Thierer) shows, using evidence culled from real-world experiments, that government websites, community wikis and local media portals are evolving rapidly and offering citizens a wealth of informational inputs about their local communities.

• Government Transparency: Six Strategies for More Open and Participatory Government (Feb. 24, 2011 by John Gant and Nicol Turner-Lee) suggests that open government initiatives offer an exciting step forward to making it easier for the public to know what governments are doing, participate in the decision-making process and fully engage in the civic life of their communities.