Dear Friend of the Intermountain West Funder Network,

As we head into the peak of the summer, we have a few exciting opportunities to share with you, plus updates on the Intermountain West Funder Network and the work of the steering committee. Interested to know who is on the IMWFN steering committee? Visit the IMWFN webpage and look for changes and updates to the Funders’ Network - IMWFN website in the coming month!

The IMWFN steering committee and team are excited to announce a new opportunity that will be starting up in September 2017. The series is a direct response to feedback received from the 2017 IMWFN survey and our IMWFN dialogue during the 2017 annual convening in Bozeman, Mont.

The top two most important values expressed by IMWFN participants are to “network and cultivate relationships with other funders” and “identify and exchange best practices and tools.” Our annual convening provides an in-person opportunity to make this happen and now we will also provide a virtual opportunity with our Funder Network Series: Conservation Funding in the Mountain West.

WHAT? A series of calls with a peer group of interested funders focused on the broad topical area of conservation/environment while being inclusive of related issues. The topics will be proposed and led by you – funders in the network – with the co-facilitation and support of the IMWFN team. It may include an invited guest speaker. A few of the topics discussed to date include: collaborative conservation, land trust capacity/models, next generation of leadership, and land use and water management.

WHY? To provide additional pathways and opportunities for intermountain west funders to:
• Learn from each other about the issues, possibilities, and breakthroughs affecting our region;
• Engage in discussions about priorities and leverage points;
• Enhance the impact of individual foundations by learning more about best practices, prospective aligned funding and collaborative projects.

WHEN? Bi-monthly calls will be starting in September. We will hold a series of 3 - 4 funder network and exchange calls, and then evaluate as a group how it is working and future direction.

HOW DO I SIGN UP? Contact Amy Swiatek at amy@fundersnetwork.org or call 919-904-2613 to let us know of your interest, and to receive more details. If you have questions, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with Amy.

Interested in networking with other funders focused on local economic and workforce development? Building community wealth? Resilient communities? Contact Amy to let us know of your interest. It could be our next Funder Network Series!

In a world where traditional journalism is finding it increasingly hard to compete with the fast-paced—and often “fake news”—blossoming across social media and digital platforms, local news outlets are faced with dwindling audiences and advertisers. Yet a robust media that can produce original, rigorous reporting, and help spur dialogue and debate on complex problems, are necessary to a healthy democracy in local communities.
How can funders support quality journalism, especially in smaller communities considered “media deserts”?

Join us for the webinar Solutions Journalism: How Investing in Media Can Drive Positive Community Change, Sept. 20, 2017, at 11 a.m. MT/ 1 p.m. ET.

This webinar, organized by TFN's Intermountain West Funders' Network and open to all funders, explores what is being done to support and preserve the type of journalism that illuminates complex issues and invigorates civic engagement. We'll learn about the Small Towns, Big Change **project of the LOR Foundation and the Solutions Journalism Network, as well as hear from the Democracy Fund about ways foundations across the country can support essential journalism.

Register here.