2026 Impact Report
Letter from Our Executive Director
I’m so proud of the year we’ve had at Report for America. We’re not only helping newsrooms serve their communities better today, we’re also creating sustainable systems to help local journalism thrive in the years to come.
Deeper reporting. This year, we’ve greatly expanded opportunities for corps members, and newsrooms to do investigative work an invaluable skill that will improve the quality of their future work.
Financial and operational sustainability. We’re building a more sustainable local news ecosystem by teaching newsrooms how to diversify revenue, strengthen fundraising and secure the support they need to expand local reporting over the long term. We also advocate for living wages for reporters so that local journalism remains a viable profession.
New models and scale. To extend the reach of local journalism, we’re creating partnerships with media organizations, regional initiatives, universities, states and others, bringing high- quality local reporting to more communities.
Talent and diversity. We’re widening the talent pipeline. Through internships, recruitment of reporters from a range of backgrounds and experiences, robust training and mentoring, we’re launching more reporters into meaningful careers.
The result is a better equipped and more representative generation of journalists. We’re building stronger newsrooms, stronger communities and a stronger future for local news. Your support has made it all possible. Thank you!
Kim Kleman
Executive Director, Report for America
Rewriting the Story of Local News Reach
Since 2018, Report for America has grown to meet the need for stronger local news — supporting hundreds of journalists and newsrooms in communities nationwide.
Rewriting the Story of Local Accountability
When local journalists have the support to dig deeper,
communities benefit. Across the country, Report for
America is helping reporters uncover overlooked stories,
hold institutions accountable and ensure more people
see themselves — and their communities — represented
in local news.
Accountability that Changed the Law
Ginny Monk
As a Report for America corps member at The Connecticut Mirror, Ginny joined a yearlong investigation with colleagues at Connecticut Mirror and ProPublica that revealed how Connecticut’s towing laws allowed companies to overcharge drivers, sell vehicles in as little as 15 days and profit from a system that disproportionately harmed people living paycheck to paycheck. The reporting uncovered failures in oversight, documented the human cost of the state’s century-old laws.
Accountability by Bearing Witness
Ellen Schmidt
When federal immigration enforcement intensified across Minneapolis, Report for America photojournalism corps member Ellen Schmidt was already there. Reporting for MinnPost, Ellen documented protests, community gatherings, residents’ encounters with ICE agents and the aftermath of the federal crackdown as events unfolded. When Renée Good was shot during one confrontation, Ellen was just a block away, capturing moments that otherwise might have gone unseen.
Accountability by Asking Hard Questions
Isabelle C. Lisco
Arizona communities are gaining something many have long lacked: dedicated education coverage. Through the Arizona Local News Foundation’s Education Solutions Collaborative, supported by Report for America, 16 reporters now serve communities across the state, many of them rural, producing more than 2,000 stories in the collaborative’s first year. For Isabela C. Lisco, education reporter with KOLD-TV in Tucson, that support creates space for stories that might otherwise go untold.
Rewriting the Story of Local News, By the Numbers
