What Media Education Foundation does

Media Education Foundation (MEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1991 and headquartered at 60 Masonic St # A, Northampton, Massachusetts. The organization produces and distributes documentary films and supporting educational resources focused on critical media literacy, covering gender, race, media studies, politics, consumerism, commercialism, climate, and class. Per company-provided data, MEF operates with a small staff of 1–10 employees led by founder and Executive Director Sut Jhally and Managing Director David Mello, supplemented by board members and an advisory group that includes scholars such as Noam Chomsky, bell hooks, and Robert McChesney.

MEF's core product is a catalog of hundreds of documentary titles delivered across four formats: physical DVDs (with public performance rights at most license levels), hosted streaming subscriptions on Kanopy (1- and 3-year terms with clip tools, playlists, MARC records, usage analytics, and LMS integration), perpetual digital site licenses for self-hosted institutional libraries, and short-term 7-day streaming rentals. The organization also publishes discussion guides, transcripts, handouts, and sample syllabi as ancillary teaching resources, and supports host-a-screening programs. Distribution operates through direct online, phone, fax, and mail sales; a sub-distributor network spanning Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and the UK; and US resellers including Midwest Tape for public libraries.

The business model is hybrid nonprofit: earned revenue from institutional film sales (universities, colleges, high schools, public libraries, nonprofits, churches, and individual educators) is supplemented by tax-deductible donations. Pricing is stratified by customer type — digital site licenses run $595–$695 per title, streaming subscriptions $150/year or $350/3 years per video, and 7-day rentals $50 — with nonprofit, high-school, community-college, and church tiers offered at discounts. MEF also packages six curated streaming collections (Premium, Gender Studies, Media Studies & Communication, Race Studies, Politics & Current Issues, Debt & Consumerism) to drive institutional attach across academic departments.

Name

Media Education Foundation

Legal name

Media Education Foundation

Website

https://mediaed.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Media Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces and distributes educational documentary films and supporting teaching resources on media literacy topics, primarily serving universities, colleges, high schools, and public libraries worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Documentary Films

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Educational Services (611), Publishing Industries (513)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Educational & Instructional Nonfiction (MPADADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Media Arts & Film/Photography Nonprofits (BPAGAHAJ), Language Learning Media (Audio Labs, Pronunciation, Interactive) (EDAGALAE), Public Media Digital Platforms & Streaming (Apps, On-demand, Podcasts) (MPABADAG), Educational/Instructional Public Media Services (Schools, Distance Learning) (MPABADAH)

Keywords

• Educational documentary films
• Media literacy resources
• Streaming film licensing
• Educational video distribution
• Critical media education

Headquarters

HQ city

Northampton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. DVD Sales: One-time sales of DVDs to institutions, libraries, and individuals. Pricing varies by license type (university, high school, nonprofit, individual). DVDs include public performance rights at most licensing levels.
2. Streaming Subscriptions: 1-year and 3-year hosted streaming subscriptions for single titles or curated collections. Includes unlimited simultaneous users, clip tools, playlists, and MARC records.
3. Digital Site Licensing: One-time perpetual lifetime digital rights for institutions to host videos on their own servers. Includes high-res video file, caption file, discussion guide, and transcript.
4. 7-Day Streaming Rentals: Short-term 7-day access to single titles for instant, on-demand viewing with no setup required.
5. Donations: Tax-deductible donations to support film production and distribution to wide audiences. MEF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Media Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces and distributes documentary films focused on critical thinking about the social, political, and cultural impact of American mass media. It sells these films to educational institutions through physical DVDs, hosted streaming subscriptions, perpetual digital site licenses, and short-term streaming rentals, bundled with discussion guides, transcripts, and public performance rights.

Product overview

Media Education Foundation (MEF) is a nonprofit organization that produces and distributes documentary films and educational resources focused on critical thinking about media, culture, and society. The core product portfolio consists of documentary films on topics including gender, race, media studies, politics, and consumerism, available through multiple distribution formats: physical DVDs, hosted streaming subscriptions via Kanopy, digital site licensing for self-hosting, and 7-day streaming rentals. The company offers curated streaming collections (MEF Premium Collection, Gender Studies, Race Studies, Media Studies & Communication, Politics & Current Issues, Debt & Consumerism) for institutional subscribers, along with complementary educational resources including discussion guides, transcripts, and handouts. Public performance rights are included with most licensing levels, enabling campus screenings and classroom use. The organization also supports grassroots screening organizers with consignment terms and resellers discounts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MEF Premium Collection: Streaming collection consisting of most films in the MEF catalog, the organization's most popular collection offering.
• Gender Studies Collection
• Media Studies & Communication Collection
• Race Studies Collection
• Politics & Current Issues Collection
• Debt & Consumerism Collection

Products and services

• DVDs
• Streaming Subscriptions
• Digital Site Licensing
• 7-Day Streaming Rentals
• MEF Premium Collection
• Screening Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Films available on Kanopy streaming platform reaching academic institutions worldwide
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KanopycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMEF's streaming content available through Kanopy's hosted streaming platform for universities and colleges with unlimited simultaneous users, clip tools, and usage statistics.
• Contemporary Arts Media (Australia & UK)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional distribution partner handling MEF film sales in Australia and the UK market.
• Kinetic Video (Canada)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCanadian distributor for MEF educational documentary films.
• Dart Acquisitions Services (Australia)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustralian distributor handling MEF product acquisitions.
• Artsberg Enterprise Limited (Hong Kong)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHong Kong-based distributor for MEF educational films.
• Learning Rendezvous Co Ltd. (Hong Kong)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHong Kong educational distributor for MEF content.
• Sinostar Ltd. (Hong Kong)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHong Kong-based educational media distributor.
• Fuji Books Ltd. (Japan)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJapanese distributor for MEF documentary films.
• Cerdik Publications (Malaysia)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMalaysian distributor for MEF educational content.
• On Target Training SDN BHD (Malaysia)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMalaysian training and education distributor.
• Roadshow New ZealandminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNew Zealand distributor for MEF documentary films.
• Unifacmanu Trading Co., Ltd. (Taiwan)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTaiwan-based educational media distributor.
• Blackwell's Book Services (UK)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK academic bookservice distributor for MEF content.
• Coutts Information Services Ltd. (UK)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK information services distributor.
• Dawson Books (UK)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK book distributor for academic content.
• Ambassador Books and Media (USA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS educational media re-seller.
• Arab Film Distribution (USA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS distributor specializing in Middle Eastern and international film content.
• Insight Media (USA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS educational media distributor.
• Midwest Tape (USA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS distributor serving public libraries with MEF content.
• Ontario Library Association (Canada)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCanadian library association distributing 'The Hollywood Librarian' to public libraries and individuals.
• Caribbean Library Consulting (Puerto Rico)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPuerto Rico-based library consulting and distribution services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• PBS (Public Broadcasting Service): Public broadcaster and digital media distributor with educational programming and library streaming. Comparable as a large-scale public-media distributor serving educational audiences, though broader in scope than MEF.
• Alexander Street / ProQuest Video: Major academic streaming aggregator selling video collections to universities and libraries. Comparable as an institutional streaming competitor and aggregator that libraries may choose over independent distributors.

Direct peers

• Women Make Movies: Nonprofit distributor of independent films by and about women, with strong overlap in gender-studies, social-justice, and educational institutional sales. Directly comparable in nonprofit mission, academic customer base, and curriculum-aligned collections.
• The Video Project: Nonprofit distributor of documentary films on environmental, social, and public-health topics for educational and community use. Comparable in nonprofit structure, institutional sales model, and issue-driven curriculum content.
• Icarus Films: Independent distributor of documentary and world-cinema films to educational and library markets via DVD and digital licensing. Comparable in documentary catalog, academic-customer focus, and physical + digital distribution formats.
• New Day Films: Filmmaker-run cooperative distributing social-issue and educational documentaries to academic and library markets. Highly comparable to MEF in mission, customer base (universities, libraries, schools), and distribution model (DVD + digital licensing).
• Bullfrog Films: Distributor of environmental and social-issue documentaries to schools, libraries, and universities via DVD and streaming. Closely comparable in educational-channel focus, pricing tiers, and curriculum-support ancillaries.
• First Run Features: Independent distributor of award-winning documentaries and feature films with educational and institutional licensing programs. Comparable in nonfiction catalog, institutional rights structure, and educational market positioning.

Others

• Kanopy: Streaming platform partner that distributes MEF content to academic and public libraries. Not a peer in content production but a critical ecosystem partner whose terms and reach directly affect MEF's streaming economics.

Emerging players

• Docurama (dedicated documentary streaming): Curated documentary streaming service targeting engaged viewers with themed collections. Comparable in documentary curation and consumer streaming distribution, though not primarily academic in focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MediaEd
• Facebookfacebook.com/MediaEducationFoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/mediaeducationfoundation

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Media Education Foundation