Civic Media 2.0 brings leaders across documentary film, journalism, public media, arts and culture, philanthropy, education, and civic life together to develop practical funding, governance, and policy strategies for public-interest storytelling.
Reimagining how communities support public-interest storytelling.
Join leaders from documentary film, journalism, public media, philanthropy, arts and culture, education, and civic engagement as we launch the Regional Civic Media Cohorts and explore new approaches to building more consistent and sustainable support for public-interest storytelling.
Communities increasingly rely on trusted local storytelling, yet the organizations producing it often face many of the same funding, governance, and policy challenges. As public media funding shifts and local institutions face growing financial pressure, this is an important moment to develop more durable regional strategies for supporting public-interest storytelling.
Civic Media 2.0 is a framework for rethinking how communities support independent storytelling and civic life. It recognizes that documentary film, local news and information, public media, arts and cultural organizations, libraries, and other civic institutions increasingly rely on many of the same public policies, funding systems, governance structures, and community relationships.
The regional cohorts create space to explore practical approaches together while helping each sector thrive within its unique mission and community.
Independent film (scripted & non-fiction), local news & information, public media, arts and culture, libraries, and community media have been funded, governed, and defended separately for decades — all while facing the same structural pressures. Civic Media 2.0 brings them into one shared conversation through local collaborative funding mechanisms.
Cohorts also welcome partners in Philanthropy, Education, Civic Organizations, Research / Policy.
Six regional cohorts will bring together leaders from across civic media sectors to study relevant models and identify practical funding and governance opportunities tailored to their regions.
Participants will
How public goods receive durable support. Ballot measures, dedicated taxes, appropriations, special districts, trusts, and other mechanisms communities use to fund shared resources.
How public resources are governed. Structures that build accountability, distribute decision-making, protect independence, and earn public trust.
Lessons from arts and culture. How cultural districts, regional arts systems, and participatory grantmaking have sustained institutions over time.
Lessons from local news and public media. Emerging approaches to civic-information funding, public-service media, local ownership, and community accountability.
Where current systems fall short. The financing, distribution, access, and capacity gaps affecting independent film, local media, and community storytelling.
What may be possible regionally. Which elements of existing models could be adapted, combined, tested, or further researched within each region.
What it takes to lift off a voter-approved tax measure — the same kind of dedicated public funding that already sustains arts and culture in regions across the country.
Community carve-outs from digital advertising revenue, so dollars that once circulated through local media stop leaking out to a handful of platforms.
Trusts governed by community representatives, region by region — funding that stays stable, hard for politics to capture, and close to the people doing the work.
Tell us a bit about yourself!
Planning to attend the August 25 National Kickoff? This form is separate — you'll also need to register for the kickoff webinar to receive the meeting link.
Whether you work in documentary, local news, public media, arts and culture, philanthropy, education, or civic engagement, we invite you to help develop stronger regional infrastructure for public-interest storytelling.