PHILADELPHIA, August 11, 2021 – The Independence Public Media Foundation (IPMF), announces grants totaling $4 million to community media-makers, journalism, film and digital equity projects with an emphasis on supporting projects led by underrepresented communities and with a commitment to justice.
IPMF collaborated with the HealthSpark Foundation and the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund to award $2.3 million to 47 organizations through its Community Voices Fund open call. The foundation also awarded $1 million to 18 organizations through its Digital Equity Fund open call, as well as nearly $750,000 in continued support for key IPMF partners.
“We are grateful to our partners at HealthSpark and the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund for helping to expand media making opportunities in the Philly region. What unites our three foundations is the belief that communities should lead the fact-finding and storytelling around the issues they care about. These grants will help them do that,” said Molly de Aguiar, IPMF President.
Organizations and individuals from the tri-state area submitted a wide range of media making proposals to the Community Voices Fund. Of those who applied, the funding partners prioritized voices and leaders from communities traditionally underrepresented in philanthropy, with a special emphasis on LGBTQ+, AAPI and Indigenous communities.
"These organizations, projects, collectives and initiatives aren’t only voices of the community, they are calls to action to strengthen and inspire our collective communities by addressing the systems that need to be reimagined and reinvented so justice is possible," said Roxann Stafford, managing director of the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund.
► Read IPMF's press release for complete details.
► Read IPMF Program Officer Nuala Cabral’s essay on what the foundation’s board and staff prioritized during this grants review process.