Have you ever been triggered by an inspiring story, and wanted to get straight into action, but not known where or how to offer your help? 5 Media is a new impact media foundation connecting people, ideas, and resources to drive a sustainable future.
Launched in 2020 by philanthropist and impact investor Laura DeVere, 5 Media is born from an awareness that change is needed now. Solution-holders aren’t gaining the support they need, while many individuals are looking for ways to contribute to a better world.
5 Media: grants up to €100,000 per year
5 Media tackles this by matching promising solutions with growth opportunities by actively scouting for new projects to fund and support. The foundation offers ten grants of up to €100,000 per year, awarded to initiatives set to pave the way for a more sustainable future.
The foundation accelerates impact initiatives fighting the climate crisis and advocating conscious capitalism through providing financial support, storytelling, and engaging the 5 community. Silicon Canals talked to Mie Dahlquist, Executive Director at 5 Media, about the scope of the foundation
5 Media is a new media impact foundation with a mission to connect thinkers and doers to co-create a more sustainable future. First of all, what is a media impact foundation?
“A media impact foundation is a foundation that balances the use of storytelling and financial support as a vehicle for change and positive impact. We couldn’t find an existing category or term to fit the premise of 5, so we created our own category. We are not traditional media, because our work involves more than storytelling. Nor are we a traditional charity foundation, as we spend a lot of time and resources building our media platform to inspire and engage motivated individuals to join us in taking action.”
You’re currently scouting for ten impact projects to support with funding of up to €100,000 each. What kind of initiatives would you like to hear from?
“We offer grants to support sustainable initiatives on their impact journey. We are looking to collaborate and support initiatives that provide solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges related to the environment.
Our focus is on how ‘conscious capitalism’ can respond to ‘nature calling’. The initiatives we are looking for should be scalable and have the ability to inspire and move others. They should have a proven track record of success (however big or small), have a community mindset, and also be open to collaboration.”
Beyond funding – what other opportunities are available to solution holders? How do you connect sustainable solutions, projects, startups and innovators with growth opportunities?
“Our support is based on three elements. We elevate initiatives through storytelling, we connect people, resources and skills to accelerate the impact of sustainability initiatives, and we offer financial support in the form of grants.”
“Our overall ethos is ‘the power of many’. For this reason, inspiration and storytelling is a key part of our approach. Through constructive, high-quality journalism in the form of articles, podcasts and video, we highlight impactful stories that address the importance of sustainable solutions. We also explore the context of the problem to be solved. We believe that people inspire other people, and for this reason, changemakers play an important role in our storytelling. Our role is to highlight the people behind these solutions, and to outline how we can engage our community to help.”
Building community and catalysing connection
“Another way we support solutions is to connect them with people in our community that can help them to scale and grow. Our role is to bridge the gap between thinkers and doers, as some have the means while others have the ideas to accelerate change. We have learned from our research that many individuals want to actively contribute to a more sustainable future, but they don’t know where to start. There is a gap in action, and our role is to be a central place where those who want to make a difference can find causes to support, and exchange or offer resources to take action.”
To submit your project for consideration, apply at fivemedia.com/pitch by March 31st 2021.