One issue that has emerged in recent years regarding transparency is so-called donor-advised funds — financial vehicles that manage charitable donations made by individuals, families or organizations and under law do not have to disclose the identify of those contributors. The funds have become controversial because they can be a way for people or foundations to finance media without being individually identified.
About 20 percent of foundations surveyed said they assist media projects with donor-advised funds. Of those, half said they disclose the source of those funds. One private foundation said it discloses the source “if targeted to the media project; not if general operating funds.” The source of donor funds is revealed by a community foundation surveyed, “unless the fund is designated anonymous.”
| Yes | No | |
|---|---|---|
| Does your foundation ever support media projects with donor-advised funds? | 19% | 60% |
| Does your nonprofit media ever receive contributions from donor-advised funds? | 47% | 28% |
Data Source: Surveys conducted 2015. Questions: Foundations- Do you fund media projects using donor-advised funds? Nonprofit Media-Have you ever received contributions from donor-advised funds, which are charitable organizations administered by third parties to manage the charitable contribution of an organization, family or individuals?
American Press Institute
On the nonprofit media organization side, however, the numbers are slightly different and less transparent. Nearly half of the nonprofit news organizations surveyed said they get funding from donor advised funds. Of the organizations that do, 4 in 10 said they disclose both the fund and the source of the contributions. A third said they reveal only the name of the donor advised fund.
Share with your network
Ethical terrain of nonprofit journalism
You also might be interested in:
The study’s findings likely align with news engagement behavior you’re already noticing, but the data across age groups shows these shifts cannot be written off as a passing trend that younger generations will age out of. Here are four key takeaways and what they mean for local news.
This report draws on a nationally representative survey of teens ages 13–17 and adults 18 and older, providing one of the most comprehensive, generationally comparative looks at how Americans navigate an increasingly complex news, information and media ecosystem.
Local News Day highlights five ways these organizations matter within their communities. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite examples of this work in each category.
