About New Media Ventures
We invest in progressive startups and entrepreneurs to build civic power, strengthen democracy, and drive social change across media, technology, and organizing.
Focus Areas
Responsible AIMedia & CreatorsAdvocacy PlatformsDigital OrganizingCivic Engagement ToolsElections & Voting Systems
Who They Fund
progressive startups and tech foundersdigital organizers and advocacy organizationsprogressive media creators and journalistsnetworks of investors and donor coalitionscivic engagement platforms serving voters/progressive constituencies
Funding Style
About New Media Ventures
New Media Ventures channels flexible early-stage capital into media, AI, and democracy projects, with a 2025 grant slate led by a series of $50,000 awards. The fund’s charitable grants include Deceleration in San Antonio, Texas; Arizona Luminaria in Tucson, Arizona; and Factchequeado in Carmichael, California, showing a preference for civic-information and narrative work over general operating support alone. Through its Innovation Fund and its 501(c)(3) affiliate New Rising Ventures, the foundation backs for-profit and nonprofit ventures that aim to shift power in civic life. Its stated model combines investment, grants, coaching, and community connections for leaders building media and AI solutions. That mix appears across programs focused on responsible AI, digital organizing, advocacy platforms, civic engagement tools, elections and voting systems, and progressive political media. The foundation also uses targeted vehicles such as an open call for Voices for Democracy and a Latino-led media accelerator, which point to a grantmaker that organizes funding around specific civic and media use cases rather than broad general support. The recent awards are concentrated in media and information integrity, community reporting, and tools meant to influence civic participation.
What New Media Ventures Funds
A major thread in the portfolio is community-based media. New Media Ventures gave $50,000 to Texas Signal Media Foundation for charitable support, and the same grant level appears for Arizona Luminaria for charitable support, both fitting the funder’s emphasis on local news and narrative work. Another area is Latino-led and bilingual media. The LV4D accelerator is described as a bilingual news media accelerator for Latino-led news organizations and media ventures, which aligns with the foundation’s media and creators focus. They also fund civic infrastructure and organizing tools. The Innovation Fund supports early-stage ventures building media and AI solutions, while New Rising Ventures backs nonpartisan entrepreneurs and activists working on democracy innovation and civic engagement. The Responsible AI funding cycle targets AI-driven tools for trustworthy media, countering disinformation, and civic or voting technology.
How New Media Ventures Gives
The listed grant sizes cluster at a single level: seven of the nine recent awards are $50,000, with one $25,000 grant and one $10,000 grant. That pattern suggests a relatively standardized early-stage grant size, with smaller awards reserved for select projects. The foundation is a regular funder and a public charity, and it also operates as a DAF-classified grantmaker. Its programs point to a mix of open-call and active funding, with several vehicles marked as accepting unsolicited applications. The same recipient names do not appear across the recent-grants list, so the sample reads as one-off awards rather than repeated annual support in the data shown.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$100K
Total Assets
$174K
Total Revenue
$343K
Total Expenses
$518K
Geographic Reach
National8 states funded
About 18% of grants go to recipients in NC.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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