Community News Funds
Local foundations lead the way with a pivotal new strategy for bolstering community journalism
In February 2023, Report for America published its 2022 Update: Community News Funds report. It is a follow-up to the report released last year that identified a major new trend – the creation of “Community News Funds” – and outlines how the new funds can be created.
The new strategy involves community foundations working in conjunction with local news leaders in creating a single, permanent fund that draws upon donations from multiple sources, to support local news for years to come.
The original report offered several case studies—from urban to rural areas—reflecting how community news funds are already making a difference at a time when many newsrooms are struggling financially. Seven of the communities raised $15 million over three years with variations of this model.
Report for America’s local sustainability team interviewed more than 30 philanthropic and newsroom leaders to develop its findings. They looked at dynamic actions in Traverse City, Mich., Lancaster, Pa., Fresno, Calif., Lexington, Ky., Seattle and statewide efforts in Pennsylvania and California. Other communities in the report are New Haven, Conn., Rappahannock, Va., and Fauquier County, Va.
While the report looks at best practices, it highlighted some challenges to consider. Many foundations have bylaws or practices that direct their funds exclusively to nonprofits and avoid for-profit entities. In some communities, where for-profit news organizations are the only providers of local news, funders will need to become more flexible, allowing for a greater diversity of business models.
Newsrooms, meanwhile, should expect funders to hold them to certain standards of quality and impact, while still maintaining complete editorial independence between funders and news decision making. For-profit newsrooms will eventually need to create a development staff position to partner with community philanthropy leaders.
Though this will be a shift in strategy, Report for America believes community news funds are the best path forward for communities that are in danger of losing their local news coverage.
Read the 2022 Update to the Community News Funds report here.
To be successful, community news funds should:
- Encompass multiple funders of varied giving levels
- Pursue multi-year contributions with a fund goal of 6- and 7-figures depending on the community size
- Demonstrate and articulate that the community (not merely the newsroom) is the beneficiary of improved local news
- Direct funding support to more than one newsroom, where feasible, to better serve an entire community
- Create a steering committee of civic leaders that eventually grows to become a board of governance for fund expansions and dispersals
- Ensure with local news partners that the community benefits from a wide range of types of reporting (investigative, hyperlocal, features, etc.) and targets of coverage (ie., health, education, environment, criminal justice, economic development).
Want to learn how your community can create a Community News Fund? Our Local Sustainability team will gladly schedule a meeting with you. EMAIL us today.
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The “Community News Funds” report was made possible with support from the Lenfest Institute for Journalism and Meta Journalism Project.