Program Focus

The Media Democracy Fund (MDF) is a new collaborative of foundations and donors established to increase support for organizations working to create policies and structures that sustain an open, diverse, and just media environment. MDF's grant strategy is designed, in part, to identify gaps in media policy funding and address those needs. The Fund is designed to provide a reliable re-granting structure and meet the need for strategic grantmaking in a field with limited resources.

While the field of media policy reform as a whole is chronically under funded, there are key areas of work that have fewer resources than others. Based on research conducted with the field and funder colleagues, the Media Democracy Fund will concentrate its first year of funding on state, local, and constituency based organizing, and on the intermediary or capacity building groups that support those efforts. An emphasis will be placed on projects that strive to broaden and diversify the base of people engaged in this issue, as well as those that strengthen the field as a whole by providing vital resources or shared infrastructure.

Proposals for the initial round of funding from the Media Democracy Fund are being solicited through this targeted Request for Proposals. Grants will be offered in the range of $10,000 to $50,000, with limited exceptions. MDF is not in a position to offer multi-year grants.