|
|
|
|
|
WHAT WE DO OUR ROLE
Environmental Media Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that acts as a catalyst for film, video, media programming and events about the environment, human health, social justice and other issues of significant public interest and educational benefit. We support worthy projects and offer consulting, grant sourcing and other assistance free of charge whenever possible.
EMF (a) helps producers develop, produce and finance their projects, and secure distribution to a wider audience; (b) helps distributors identify quality programming for their target audiences, (c) helps educators employ media-based teaching tools; and (d) helps donors and investors achieve their charitable and philanthropic goals through media and educational programming.
EMF also offers a full range of donor and investor advisory services, and donor advised funds for qualified individuals and organizations. EMF offers donors and socially conscious investors reliable, leveraged and cost effective ways to ensure maximum impacts and outcomes for their grants and investments.
Environmental Media Fund is the only organization of its kind, providing professional due diligence, project oversight and portfolio management for donors and social venture philanthropy investors. Our approach emphasizes collaboration with other existing nonprofit organizations.
EMF's support and assistance stimulates the production, distribution and funding of educational programming, and public policy debate to effect change.
ISSUES ADDRESSED
Since its founding in 2003, EMF has supported and assisted projects dealing with climate change and global warming, alternative energy, earth science, organic farming, urban farming and agricultural practices, marine fisheries, oceans and aquaculture, food safety and security, animals and wildlife, restoration ecology, ecosystem conservation and preservation, social justice, indigenous people and cultures, human health and medicine, green building and growth, urban ecology and industry, and other issues of general public interest.
STATEMENT OF VALUES & NEED Since our inception in 2003, the environmental media landscape has changed dramatically. Films and television programming about environmental, human health and social justice issues, once a scarcity, are now everywhere. But the "heavy lifting" is still ahead of us. Although positive environmental success stories are unfolding around the world every day, many remain untold. Utilizing the potential of popular media (theatrical, television, cable, video, internet and digital interactive) and innovative teaching tools to convey inspirational stories and stimulate successful solutions to environmental, human health and social justice issues remains a top priority. And as the media industry becomes increasingly decentralized, the need for new intermediary catalyst organizations and financial advisors, to stimulate media production in a more cost effective and targeted way, is also increasing.
Global solutions require a combination of grassroots participation, public policy change and action by stakeholders, and an informed electorate is crucial to the decision making process. There is arguably no better way to engage and inform the general public more quickly than through the kind of broad exposure and impactful outreach media can provide. However, with funding scarce, mainstream programming producers rely on corporate and sponsorships for production funding. This can create the potential for conflicts of interest that can have direct impact on the journalistic integrity of the programming being produced and distributed, and can marginalize independent voices and diversity of content. Environmental Media Fund acts as a neutral arbiter between funders and producers to eliminate potential conflicts of interest. No donor or investor is ever given control over the integrity of programming content. METHODOLOGY We believe that popular media, when properly aligned with coordinated outreach, is one of the best methods available to bring important issues to the public’s attention and affect social change. Media and culture have become essentially inseparable. Our strategic approach involves viewing media projects as a suite of inter-related components. We see successful media projects as having three parts:
MEDIA
Film and video are the vehicles that bring issues to the public’s attention. Their primary purpose is to move people to want to know more. It's not what people leave the theater thinking so much as what they leave the theater feeling, because feelings can drive them to take action. A great film is the starting point for a successful outcome.
INFORMATION
The Internet has become the primary source of in-depth information about everything. Web sites provide ideal places for individuals to investigate issues and link to organizations working for change. All EMF projects must have a professionally designed, interactive web site that enables social networking features.
EMPOWERMENT
Individuals and organizations need specific actions they can take to get involved in a meaningful way so they don’t feel overwhelmed and powerless in the face of global challenges. This might include downloading consumer purchasing guides so they can begin to “vote with their dollars,” offering petitions or letters they can send electronically to their elected representatives, or opportunities to volunteer or otherwise get directly involved in a grassroots activities where they live. Simple action items are essential for every successful social change campaign.PROJECT SELECTION We actively (a) seek opportunities where funding produces the greatest tangible benefits, (b) select only those projects that meet the highest professional and ethical standards, (c) help project participants and stakeholders leverage expertise and assets, (d) institute professional cost controls and project oversight, (e) help structure creative project and project funding models, (f) work to insure that outreach partners, grassroots collaborations, distribution agreements and re-purposing arrangements (educational programming and media-based teaching tools) are in place prior to commencement, and (g) actively seek out and support projects that:
-
Further our understanding of the complexity and interrelated nature of environmental issues, and communicate information in an unbiased, carefully weighed and thoroughly scientific manner,
-
Reach the widest possible audience and are transferable to the greatest number of alternative distribution formats including emerging digital, Internet and interactive technologies,
-
Represent diverse, underserved and independent voices that might otherwise go unheard, and
-
Can have immediate impacts on personal choices and consumer behavior and inspire individuals to actively participate in solutions to environmental problems,
-
Projects that tell important stories and present ideas in the most compelling and entertaining way. DONOR & INVESTOR SERVICES EMF offers Donor Advised Funds and Donor & Investor Advisory Services. EMF vets projects to ensure that proposals best suit donor's or investor's funding priorities. By selecting only those projects that have the greatest chance of succeeding on all levels and by monitoring them and providing ongoing reporting, EMF saves donors and socially conscious investors time and money and offers a level of due diligence previously unavailable. FISCAL SPONSORSHIP EMF provides a full range of fiscal sponsorship services for filmmakers and project producers. Click here to learn more here. AREAS OF INTEREST
ISSUES
Issues Relating to Global Change, Environment, Health and Social Justice
The Biosphere and Climate Change
Biodiversity and Species Extinction
The Oceans - Fisheries and Aquaculture
Habitat & Ecosystems - Rivers, Grasslands, Wetlands, Forests
Soil Erosion and Farming Productivity Loss
Global Water Resources and Aquifer Depletion
Pollution and Toxins
Human Health
Cultural Change and Lifestyle Impacts
Civil Society and Economic Impacts
Social Justice and Public Policy
SOLUTIONS
Eco-Economics and the Role of Government Policy Initiatives
Renewable Energy and Global Resource Management
Eco-Development and Green Building Design
Green Machines – Re-engineering for Environmental Benefit
Industrial Ecology - Decreasing our Global Environmental Footprint
Natural Farming and Soil Conservation
Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Reserves
Ecosystem Restoration and Land Conservation
Mitigating the Environmental Externalities of our Consumer Society Challenging our Social and Cultural Beliefs and Norms
EVALUATING OUTCOMES We monitor the progress of each project we sponsor and employ both qualitative and quantitative methods of evaluating results. We require all assisted and sponsored projects to submit regular reports detailing distribution and outreach results along with detailed accounting of expenses. In the case of programming that is presented on PBS or other television venues we follow official "carriage reports" from satellite services and affiliate stations as they are made available, and often suggest alternate strategies to increase distribution opportunities. In addition, project producers are encouraged to poll participants and collect data from stakeholders on issues, to improve their outreach strategies. EMF compiles the results of these efforts and reports to donors on a regular basis.
In instances where the programming is combined with educational teaching tools or interactive web sites, we receive regular reports on feedback submitted to help improve the projects content or presentation. In cases where an airing on PBS is a part of the distribution strategy, this can be important since PBS programming continues to be the number one television resource in the country for classroom programming, according to national surveys of teachers and school librarians.
LEARN MORE: READ ABOUT EMF CASE STUDIESRECOGNITION FOR OUR WORK:
In 2004 Environmental Media Fund’s charitable work was recognized by
the noted law firm of Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati which
handles all of EMF’s legal services on a pro bono basis. Projects
developed and funded by EMF donors have won Emmy Awards, National
Telly Awards, and numerous film festival honors.
|
|