Environmental Media Grantmaking: How Funders Are Tipping the Scales Toward Change

"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."

This report aims to highlight trends in environmental media grantmaking, impact studies, and examples of promising media projects, as well as insights from funders who support environmental media. The report focuses on United States (US) funders who give in the US and globally, with funding data covering 2009-2019. The research and resulting report, published by Media Impact Funders, seeks to contribute to a shared understanding of the field and help funders identify potential gaps and opportunities for funding.

As stated in the report, "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....We know that robust and compelling media of all kinds - from journalism and documentary film to data mapping and narrative change - help grow public and political will to solve our environmental crises. Because without environmental media and information, there is no effective environmental movement."

Grant information contained in the report is drawn from Media Impact Funder's media grants data map, a project of Candid, which collects data reported directly by funders, and via tax filings, websites and other public information. According to the grants data map, between 2009 and 2019, US-based funders have made:

• US$12 million in media grants for wildlife
• US$56 million in media grants for conservation
• US$81 million in media grants for climate change
• US$18 million in media grants for ocean-related efforts

The report includes graphics to highlight the top five types of media projects by four key environmental areas: wildlife, conservation, climate change, and oceans. The project types are categorised according to: media content and platforms, general; telecommunications; media applications and tools; film and video; and web-based media. Grants for wildlife, for example, include significant media content and platforms, general, as well as telecommunications for monitoring, whereas climate change grants support a range of media platforms and content, including film and video, web-based media, and media applications and tools to boost awareness and build public interest campaigns. Ocean-related work focuses on media content and platforms to inspire and inform, along with geographic information systems to map the oceans.

The report also discusses specific examples of impact campaigns, film and video, interactive games, journalism, and geographic mapping systems. To cite just one example, the report looks at the impact of the "The Game Changers" documentary, which follows elite vegan athletes who are deconstructing one of society's most deeply held beliefs - that people cannot live or be physically strong without meat-based protein. The film aims to help audiences understand that physical health and the health of the planet depend on a radical change in how society thinks about food.

Information about the top 10 funders in each of the four focus areas together with examples of what was funded is also shared in the report, reflecting the diversity in foundation and grant size, geography, and approach. For example, in the field of conservation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation funded a project with the purpose of designing and piloting a global biodiversity data management platform that applies recent technological innovations and machine learning. Around climate change, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation funded the Internews' Earth Journalism Network (EJN), which supports more than 9,000 journalists from 130 developing countries to cover the environment more effectively.

A significant portion of the report is dedicated to insights from funders, such as the Libra Foundation, the S.D. Bechtel Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the Kendeda Fund. Essays written by funders, together with interviews with two of their funded projects, offer insights into the diverse ways funders can use media to inform, educate, hold power to account, and inspire action, including lessons learned and issues for reflection.

The contributions show that the environmental movement is deeply tied to storytelling, data mapping and access, and advocacy communications. Other themes that emerged include:

• It is essential to rethink society's systems - food, water, transportation, and economic. Returning to the status quo when COVID-19 settles down will waste the global reset that this virus has created.
• There is a need to include many more voices in the work of the media and to ensure the stories being told are by those most impacted by climate change and environmental destruction. They are the people creating innovative ways to move forward with equity, biodiversity, and resilience in mind.
• Building trust - as a journalist, filmmaker, radio producer, or data analyst - ensures the media being made and shared provides value to communities at the centre of stories and information.
• Coverage matters, and supporting high-quality local journalism is critical to wide-ranging efforts that hold power to account, especially related to complex and global issues like climate change and water rights.