Davis Media Access (DMA) has announced a new partnership with Impact Architects, a nationally recognized firm that partners with nonprofits, philanthropy, and businesses to address complex challenges on a global scale. Impact Architects will provide the framework, methodology and data analysis for Yolo Local, the community information needs assessment DMA is driving.
The firm has worked with public media outlets and universities to evaluate the impact of their programs, and with large foundations including Ford, Knight and the Walton Family foundation to assess the impacts of their giving around engaged journalism. One of their most recent projects was an information needs assessment for the state of Wyoming.
DMA’s Executive Director, Autumn Labbé-Renault, said DMA is not a typical client for Impact Architects, but their approach at the right moment—brokered by Davis resident and Yolo Local advisor jesikah maria ross—yielded an opportunity to be the pilot for a program that Lindsay Green-Barber, founder and principal of Impact Architects, calls a hybrid model.
“Over the past five years of doing local information ecosystem assessments we've learned that the work is best when we have strong, engaged, local partners,” Green-Barber said. ”In this hybrid model, we'll bring our research expertise and strong assessment model, and our local partners will bring their relationships, deep knowledge of people and place. Together, we hope to deeply understand the opportunities, needs, and gaps in information across Yolo County."
DMA manages multiple media projects out of its facility on Fifth Street in Davis, including Davis Community Television, DJUSD.tv and community radio station KDRT 95.7FM, and works with public and private partners throughout Yolo County. With its historic funding in decline, the organization has been exploring its future strategic directions. Labbé-Renault notes one of the project’s goals is to pilot a process that community media centers elsewhere could use.
In late 2023, she led DMA in the launch of an exploratory process that started with her curiosity about how DMA’s technical infrastructure and expertise, as well as its deep community connections, might help turn around the decline of locally available civic information? With the support of DMA’s board of directors and staff, she talked with nearly 50 community leaders, raised $25,000, including support from the City of Davis and Yolo County Supervisors Lucas Frerichs and Jim Provenza (former), and branded the project Yolo Local.
Working under a framework that Impact Architects provides, DMA will form a working group for Yolo Local, which will in turn drive the on-the-ground community engagement work comprising a survey, focus groups and listening sessions throughout the county. The timeframe for this is February-September of this year.
“Ultimately, Impact Architects will deliver a comprehensive, data-driven report that details how our Yolo community views its information needs, which in turn will drive the next phase of Yolo Local,” Labbé-Renault said. “We know it's critical to take the time to listen to people in an inclusive way, and to get good data. The opportunity to work with IA levels up our project in multiple ways, and we’re most grateful for the opportunity to explore this collaboration.”
Labbé-Renault said DMA needs to raise another $25,000 to fully build out the assessment phase, and that she is actively identifying and pursuing funding opportunities.
