Equitable Journalism Initiatives (News and Information Ecosystems & Journalism and Power Building)

Equitable Journalism Initiatives (News and Information Ecosystems & Journalism and Power Building) is sponsored by Democracy Fund. Democracy Fund's Equitable Journalism initiatives support the evolution of local news in the United States by building more vibrant news ecosystems and equitable networks, and by supporting leaders and organizations that serve communities of color.

News and Information Ecosystems - Democracy Fund Partner with us to create a future where everyone can thrive. News and Information Ecosystems An inclusive, multiracial democracy depends on the public being well-informed and ready to take action. Local news is directly linked to active civic engagement, but traditional news organizations are failing to meet community needs, especially the needs of communities of color.

If we reimagine news and information as a public good and fund it that way, we can help bridge this gap. In the United States, journalism has historically operated as a commercial business that prioritizes profits over people. This model is unsustainable and doesn’t meet community needs.

To encourage a transition to journalism that’s informed by community voices, we work with regional leaders to develop new ways of connecting people with the information they need. We then spread these proven models across the country for others to adapt to their local communities.

The News and Information Ecosystems Initiative invests in: Building and expanding news ecosystems and networks Supporting visionary news organizations and models Strengthening the funding mechanisms and organizations that support journalism We work with local partners — journalists, ecosystem builders, and funders — to understand the needs of their area through the lens of their local expertise.

To date, we have invested with partners in the following regions: In the Chicago ecosystem , we fund a grassroots alliance of independent community media; a funder collaborative supporting local journalists that address the needs of communities of color; and a transformative local news organization that equips Chicagoans with tools to eliminate information inequity.

Field Foundation’s Media & Storytelling Portfolio Chicago Independent Media Alliance We fund the Colorado Media Project , which pools local and national funding, to ask hard questions to address inequities in its journalism, and to support the transformation of the state’s ecosystem, including launching a network hub for local news organizations, Colorado News Collaborative .

We fund a network hub for New Jersey’s local news outlets that also serves as a national center with expertise on collaborative journalism, and a joint fund that supports the ecosystem, including the operations of the first-in-the country publicly funded New Jersey Civic Information Consortium.

Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University New Jersey Civic Information Consortium New Jersey Local News Lab Fund We fund the New Mexico Local News Fund in collaboration with the Thornburg Foundation, which brings together funding, research, and experts to support the transformation of the state’s local news ecosystem and serve as a backbone connecting the state’s news outlets in collaborative efforts.

We fund the North Carolina Local News Lab Fund , which brings together local and national funders and advocates who care about how community information needs are met across the state. They work to strategically deploy funding that serves local needs, including launching a backbone hub organization, NC Local News Workshop , to serve the ecosystem. We fund the Oklahoma Media Center in partnership with the Inasmuch Foundation.

This early-stage center draws in journalists who care about improving the coverage of the region and want to collaborate on reporting that addresses local residents’ needs.

We also support national organizations that catalyze local news transformation in communities across the country like: Institute for Nonprofit News Local Independent Online News Publishers Center for Community Media, and (See our grants database for the full list of Public Square grantees ).

We also work with partners in regions across the country who are strengthening local news ecosystems, including California, Michigan, Ohio, Kansas, Georgia, and more. This ecosystem approach is increasingly seen as a critical strategy for rebuilding and reimagining local news across the country.

If you have questions or would like to connect, please reach out to Teresa Gorman, associate director, Public Square program at tgorman [@] democracyfund. org.

If you are a funder interested in investing in local journalism, please read our Guide to Assessing Your Local News Ecosystem, and consider getting involved with joint fundraising efforts like NewsMatch, Racial Equity in Journalism Fund, or local funding coalitions like the Colorado Media Project. To chat about options and ideas, please reach out to Teresa Gorman, associate director, Public Square program at tgorman [@] democracyfund.

org Please Note: we do not accept unsolicited grant proposals. Learn More About Our Work Democracy Fund’s New Equitable Journalism Strategy Guide to Assessing Your Local News Ecosystem Meet the Ecosystem Builders: A unique group of leaders transforming local news Editorial Firewall Policy We adhere to a strict policy preserving the editorial independence of all our journalism grantees.

In the instance of a grantee approaching a member of our staff for comment, we require them to go through our communications team — not a program officer — and we alert the reporter of the funding relationship. We also request that if they quote a member of our team they disclose our funding of their organization in any story produced.

Explore Our Other Public Square Initiatives Public Square strategies seek to ensure every community in the United States has access to accurate information that encourages healthy, informed, and engaged lives. Journalism and Power Building The Journalism and Power Building initiative supports leaders of color and the coalitions and organizations they champion.

These leaders are changing journalism and using media to launch movements for equity, justice, and democracy. Learn more about this effort Civil and Human Rights Online Learn more about this effort Equitable Civic Infrastructure Everything we read, watch, and hear is shaped by policy decisions. But for too long, those decisions have worked for big media and tech – not for our democracy.

That’s why we need new media policy that’s driven by our communities. Learn more about this effort