Advancing Media Representation: Nielsen Foundation's Data for Good Grants Impact Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Change
The Nielsen Foundation has allocated $325,000 in grants to seven organizations through the 2023 Data for Good grants program. This year's grants, building upon the initiatives of the 2022 program, aim to further support innovative projects that utilize data to promote positive change in media and technology, with a particular emphasis on advancing representation and inclusion.
Andrea Bertels, President and Executive Director of Grantmaking at the Nielsen Foundation, expressed the foundation's evolving focus on projects that advance representation in media and technology, particularly through data and research. She highlighted the exceptional efforts of the Data for Good grantees, underscoring their innovative work in leveraging media and technology for societal benefit. The foundation is proud to support this year's cohort and is committed to continuing this important work in the future.
The supported projects encompass a diverse range of initiatives, including:
Andrea Bertels, President and Executive Director of Grantmaking at the Nielsen Foundation, expressed the foundation's evolving focus on projects that advance representation in media and technology, particularly through data and research. She highlighted the exceptional efforts of the Data for Good grantees, underscoring their innovative work in leveraging media and technology for societal benefit. The foundation is proud to support this year's cohort and is committed to continuing this important work in the future.
The supported projects encompass a diverse range of initiatives, including:
- Amplify AAPI at NORC at the University of Chicago: Supporting the creation and upkeep of a research panel aimed at scientifically representing Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.
- Center for Scholars and Storytellers: Developing case studies of films and TV shows with authentically inclusive storytelling to aid in the positive development of young people.
- GLAAD: Backing the latest industry assessment report on LGBTQ representation in advertising to ensure fair, accurate, and inclusive portrayal of the LGBTQ community.
- Inevitable Foundation: Funding the launch of the Research Institute and Fellowship for disabled scholars to address barriers faced by disabled creatives and bridge the data gap concerning disability and entertainment.
- PCI Media: Supporting research to enhance a media-based program empowering women farmers to combat climate change, aligning with the organization's commitment to leveraging storytelling for global social change.
- PopShift (a project of Pathos Labs): Continuing the curation of a diverse intellectual property catalog for distribution to writers, producers, and executives, with the aim of fostering representative co-authorship opportunities.
- The USC Norman Lear Center Media Impact Project: Funding additional research on the impact of TV representations of anti-fat bias on health among students and professionals, contributing to a deeper understanding of media's role in shaping knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in society.
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