• Media grants support filmmakers and other media professionals.An young boy is laughing with celluloid movie image by Ivonne Wierink from Fotolia.com
  
  The media in the United States is a subject of much controversy. This is at least partly due to the fact that most media outlets are owned by major corporations and other mainstream institutions. People assume that mass media is unreliable or exhibits a bias in its choice or presentation of material. A number of wealthy individuals and groups have cropped up over the years to counteract this assumed slant in the media environment. They do this in part by providing grants to independent media organizations and producers.
  
  

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

• The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is one of the major media funding organizations in the country. It annually donates millions of dollars to organizations that produce journalism and other forms of media. A large portion of that money goes to National Public Radio and its affiliates, though the Knight Foundation also give significant amounts of money to other groups ranging from grassroots media organizations to major, big-city media outlets.
  
  John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
  
  Wachovia Financial Center Building
  
  200 South Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 3300
  
  Miami, FL 33131
  
  knightfoundation.org
  
  

John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

• The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is another major funder of media initiatives and independent media productions in the United States. The organization specifically focuses on documentary film production, journalism and public affairs programming. A significant amount of their annual funding goes to PBS stations and programming. It also provides funding to a large number of projects located within its home base of Chicago, Illinois.
  
  John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
  
  140 South Dearborn Street
  
  Chicago, IL 60603
  
  macfound.org
  
  

United States Federal Government

• The government of the United States gives out millions of dollars every year to various media organizations. Though it is not a significant funder of independent media initiatives, per se, particular projects can often be positioned to make them eligible for certain federal initiatives. The federal government lists all grant programs, requirements and time lines in a searchable database online at www.grants.gov.
  
  

United States Artists

• United States Artists (USA) is an organization dedicated to giving money to artists working in various media across the United States. USA specifically funds artists through an annual fellowship program that awards $50,000 each to 50 artists, including those working in film and multimedia production.
  
  United States Artists
  
  5757 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 580
  
  Los Angeles, CA 90036
  
  unitedstatesartists.org