Our Mission

CatchLight is a visual-first media organization that leverages the power of visual storytelling to inform, connect, and transform communities.

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THE POWER OF VISUALS

A lone protester stands in front of a tank in Tiananmen Square. A shell-shocked Syrian toddler sits in the back of an ambulance. Another child cries out as border patrol pats down her mother at the US-Mexico border.

These images tell the story of a moment, but, more importantly, they make a distant or abstract issue immediate and concrete. They focus public attention on key issues, give momentum to social movements, and become a rallying call and powerful tool for policy change.

In an age when pictures have become our everyday vocabulary, the most talented visual storytellers bring a context and experience that enriches images with subtle layers of meaning, reaching deep into our consciousness. These images connect us emotionally and powerfully to others. They have the capacity to change narratives and influence policies. CatchLight invests in the power of visual storytelling to inform, connect, and transform communities.

While visuals are critical tools for journalism, doubling the engagement rates of media content (Journalism, Media and Technology Trends and Predictions 2019, Reuters), they are also the most underinvested part of newsrooms.

Between 1999 and 2015, 53% of visual journalist positions were cut — more than any other part of newsrooms (ibid). Today, only a few select large newsrooms, such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and National Geographic, can invest in powerful and engaging visual journalism. Visual strategy has been at the center of their accessibility, reach, and success.

THE NEED

Visual storytellers have a vital role in keeping people informed, promoting community awareness, encouraging civic engagement, and leading change as visionaries. We are at a pivotal moment in a rapidly changing visual storytelling landscape with the rise of social media, AI-generated images, citizen journalism, and the decline of traditional news outlets (more than 20 percent of Americans now live in areas that have little or no independent news sources on local issues). These factors have created challenges for visual storytellers in sustaining their livelihoods. As such, our communities are at risk of losing rich and diverse photographic representations in both media and art.

WHAT WE DO

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Program Highlights

• CatchLight Local is a scalable, collaborative model to help advance visual representation in local news. Our Local Fellowship program subsidizes full-time visual journalism positions in local and regional newsrooms, enhancing their reporting and engaging more residents around critical issues in their communities. Our Local Visual Desk offers visual services, tools, and expertise to strengthen our newsroom partners as trusted messengers.

• The CatchLight Global Fellowship program has recognized 23 globally acclaimed innovators in visual storytelling with awards totaling $600,000.

• The CatchLight Impact Fund supports Fellows who are producing workshops, exhibitions, and community activations to connect their work to new audiences, increase engagement, and amplify social impact.

• CatchLight Education Initiatives advance media literacy and visual storytelling in conjunction with partners like YR Media and Stanford’s SPICE Center to reach youth throughout the United States.

• The CatchLight Visual Storytelling Summit connects San Francisco creatives and a global community of visual storytellers, bringing leaders in photo, journalism, art, and media together for high-quality, free educational programming. Summit content reaches more than 5,000 people annually through in-person and digital engagement.

Banner image: © Rafael Vilela / CatchLight Global Fellow, 2022