Who We Are
Who We Are
Agile. Determined. Passionate. Modest. That’s the Benton Foundation, a small organization among giant foundations, global nonprofits, immense communication companies, and the behemoth that is the federal government. We see our size as a strength. It enables us to tightly focus on media and their critical role in democracy. We champion media as the
bedrock of democracy.
In his will, William Benton handed down the mission of “good works in communication” and $8 million in Encyclopedia Britannica stock to what would become in 1981 the Benton Foundation. True to his legacy and the insights of his son Charles Benton, our chairman and CEO, we continue to advocate for media that delight, educate, motivate, and empower us all. In short, media that serve the public interest. Thirty years ago Benton set out to articulate what media that serve the public interest might look like, and we have consistently embraced the following vision:
- Access, equity, and diversity are paramount.
- Nonprofit organizations, educators, and community-builders are equipped with communications tools and training.
- Media production and content come from increasingly decentralized, inclusive, and diverse sources.
- Political debate and deliberation expand and become more participatory and informed.
Benton Foundation has been a small but consistent and insistent voice reminding colleagues and public servants to pay attention to the power of media, to use it to educate, advocate and serve the public; and to make media as accessible as possible. We educate our constituents on media policy issues, advocate for legislative and social change, and point to and build exemplary and innovative uses of media as models of change. Benton holds our colleagues and ourselves accountable as investors in our nation's future. Furthermore, we promote media as the means to achieving that accountability in our democracy by demonstrating media’s power to shine a light on all facets of America’s public life.
Benton leads by serving. We help others know what to look for and remind them what is at stake, always aware of and grateful for what the organizations surrounding us are contributing to the struggle.
People of the Benton Foundation
Over thirty years, Benton has been privileged to attract bright, creative, and diligent staff, too many to name here. What may merit mention are those
that led the foundation through its evolutionary phases.
In the 80s, executive director Carolyn Sachs built the foundation’s reputation as a reliable, objective resource on media issues, a resource at the vanguard of
policy development and public interest applications.
In the 90s and early 00s, president Larry Kirkman with executive vice president Karen Menichelli significantly expanded the work and staff of the
foundation, building model projects, publishing groundbreaking report series, and convening seminal meetings that unlocked the potential of funder investment in and nonprofit advocacy for media in the public interest.
After his retirement from his film distribution company, Charles Benton then took the helm as full-time CEO in 2004. With the able assistance of
executive director Cecilia Garcia, who rejoined the foundation in 2007, Charles has been leading our pursuit of the foundation’s mission.
For nearly twenty years through much of its changes, telecommunications policy analyst Kevin Taglang has been a constant for the foundation— creating and managing Benton’s flagship communications-related Headlines daily service and drafting its policy positions. To all of the other Benton alumni, we are grateful for your wide-ranging contributions.