Environmental Media Grantmaking How Funders Are Tipping the Scales Toward Change
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JUNE 2020 Environmental Media Grantmaking How Funders Are Tipping the Scales Toward Change By Sarah Armour-Jones, Consultant to Media Impact Funders Published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2020 by Media Impact Funders. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/ Or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA. Individuals are encouraged to cite this report and its contents. In doing so, please include the following attribution: Environmental Media Grantmaking: How Funders Are Tipping the Scales Toward Change, by Sarah Armour-Jones, June 2020. Contact Us Questions about this report in general? Email [email protected] Media Impact Funders 200 W. Washington Square, Suite 220 Philadelphia, PA 19128 215-574-1322 mediafunders.org TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents Executive Summary 1 Introduction 2 Grant Highlights 7 Wildlife 8 Conservation 9 Climate Change 10 Oceans 11 Insights from Funders 12 Why Don’t We Put the Frontlines in Front? 13 Q&A with Andrew Simon 15 Supporting Trusted, Local Storytellers for Ocean Health 17 Communications & Media Capacity: Invest Early, Before the Crisis 19 Strategic Support for Climate-focused Journalism 21 Q&A with Chris Wright 23 Environmental Media Funding: Strategies for Impact 25 We Are Creating Conditions for Diseases Like Covid-19 to Emerge 27 Conclusion 31 Appendix 32 ENVIRONMENTAL MEDIA GRANTMAKING: HOW FUNDERS ARE TIPPING THE SCALES TOWARD CHANGE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Executive Summary As we continue to deal with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and the ever-present climate crisis, the time for philanthropic investment in excellent environmental media of all kinds is now. We are at a global tipping point for climate change, environmental destruction and human health. From species loss and arctic ice shelf collapse, to global pandemics and the burning Amazon, our planet is confirming what scientists have been saying for decades: We must change how and what we produce, buy, discard and eat, and the ways we live, travel and consume—and fast. Funders, while measured in their responses for too long, We compiled graphics to highlight the top five media are increasing their investments in environmental work projects by four key environmental areas: wildlife, broadly, and media focused on the environment, specifically. conservation, climate change and oceans. We know that robust and compelling media of all kinds— from journalism and documentary film to data mapping According to our grants data map, between 2009 and 2019, and narrative change—help grow public and political U.S.-based funders have made: will to solve our environmental crises. Because without environmental media and information, there is no effective • $12 million in media grants for wildlife environmental movement. • $56 million in media grants for conservation To that end, and in response to our collective need to • $81 million in media grants for climate change address global climate change, Media Impact Funders has • $18 million in media grants for ocean-related efforts spent the past year prioritizing programming around the environment, with the goal of helping funders engage in The variety of media projects being supported—from conversations around the narrative change needed to shift geographic information systems to film and video— policy, behavior and culture. is significant, and targeted at a wide range of issues This report—which complements MIF’s in-person and including land conservation, documenting and reporting online convenings throughout the year—aims to highlight on the impacts of climate change, wildlife protection and trends in environmental media grantmaking, impact studies restoration of the ocean environment. and examples of promising media projects, and insights from As funders increase their support for environmental media, funders in the space. This report focuses on U.S. funders we invite you to continue the conversation and share your who give in the U.S. and globally, with funding data covering insights. Examples of impact campaigns, film and video, 2009–2019. Some grantmakers are newer to the field of interactive games, journalism and geographic mapping environmental media philanthropy, and other earlier funders systems contribute to our shared understanding of the field, have shifted priorities to non-environmental media work. The and help identify gaps in funding and opportunities for big picture shows that while some funders have changed focus, collaboration. There is no more urgent issue of our time. overall funding is going up. ENVIRONMENTAL MEDIA GRANTMAKING: HOW FUNDERS ARE TIPPING THE SCALES TOWARD CHANGE 1 INTRODUCTION Introduction It will take some time to unpack the lessons learned from the COVID-19 crisis. But as the global community grapples with the health, social and economic impacts of the pandemic, one theme in particular—humans’ own impact on the environment—should be central to our collective reflections. Indeed, if only one lesson prevails from the COVID-19 behaviors come into balance with our natural world. fallout, it should be that our future is entirely linked to our Our lack of balance with nature is all too evident. John behaviors, and radically changing our behaviors can have a Vidal, the environment editor of the Guardian for 27 years, rapid and dramatically positive impact on our natural world. noted in a recent article jointly published with Ensia With pollution-causing smog lifted in many cities, cleaner (with support from funds raised through NewsMatch) lakes and rivers, and wildlife roaming freely in response to that research indicates human destruction of biodiversity nearly universal stay-at-home orders, it is clear that we can is driving the spread of new viruses such as COVID-19. In reverse the collision course our planet is on, but only if human the article, Thomas Gillespie, associate professor in Emory University’s department of environmental sciences, “Yet the amount of global said, “Humans are creating the conditions for the spread of diseases by reducing the natural barriers between host philanthropy aimed at putting the animals—in which the virus is naturally circulating—and world on the path to a reasonable themselves.” (Read Vidal’s full article in the guest essay climate future is disgraceful—there’s section on Page 29.) no other word for it—with no more We are at a global tipping point for climate change, 3 percent of giving addressed to environmental destruction and human health. From species loss and Arctic ice shelf collapse, to global pandemics global warming. and the burning Amazon, our planet is confirming what This is profoundly, unfathomably, scientists have been saying for decades: We must change maddeningly shortsighted. Any how and what we produce, buy, discard and eat, and the grantmaker who just chugs along on ways we live, travel and consume—and fast. the same issues without addressing Funders, while measured in their responses for too long, are increasing their investments in environmental climate is, truly, fiddling while the work broadly, and media focused on the environment, world burns—particularly given the specifically. We know that robust and compelling media certainty that whatever short-term of all kinds—from journalism and documentary film to progress is made through these data mapping and narrative change—help grow public and efforts will be lost if climate change political will to solve our environmental crises. Because without environmental media and information, there is no continues unchecked.” effective environmental movement. - Larry Kramer, Hewlett Foundation A case in point: A post highlighting the extraordinary President, in a recent Chronicle of reach of Covering Climate Now (originally published in Philanthropy opinion piece ENVIRONMENTAL MEDIA GRANTMAKING: HOW FUNDERS ARE TIPPING THE SCALES TOWARD CHANGE 2 INTRODUCTION Columbia Journalism Review) notes that, “When hundreds Grants information is drawn from our media grants data of newsrooms focus their attention on the climate crisis, map, a project of Candid, which collects data reported all at the same time, the public conversation about the directly by funders, and via tax filings, websites and other problem gets better: more prominent, more informative, public information. The map is free to use and accessible at more urgent.” mediaimpactfunders.org, and more information about the data map, taxonomy and methodology are available in the report In September 2019, over 320 news outlets from across the Appendix (Page 36). United States and around the world collaborated to provide a week of high-profile coverage of the climate story, in the The Data on 4 Key Environmental Issues: most extensive such project on record. The collaboration Wildlife, conservation, climate change & oceans was organized by Covering Climate Now, a project co-founded by the Columbia Journalism Review and The According to our grants data map, between 2009 and 2019, Nation. Participants included The Guardian, the project’s U.S.-based funders have made: lead media partner, and some of the biggest newspapers, television and radio stations, and online news sites in the • $12 million in media grants for wildlife world. Representing 47 countries and much of the U.S., • $56 million in media grants for conservation these 323 outlets reached a combined audience of well over • $81 million in media grants for climate change 1 billion people. • $18 million in media grants for ocean-related efforts The reach of projects like Covering Climate Now—made possi- The variety of media projects being supported—from geo- ble by grants from the Schumann Media Center and the David graphic information systems to film and video—is signifi- and Lucile Packard Foundation—is especially important be- cant, and targeted at a wide range of issues including land cause it addresses the environmental impact of climate change conservation, documenting and reporting on the impacts of on local communities facing sea-level rise, severe weather, climate change, wildlife protection and restoration of the pollution and illness, declining food supplies and more.