Local Fundraising Support
The traditional, advertising-centric business model for local news is broken. Report for America is dedicated to supporting a new model—one that promotes local philanthropy as part of what fuels a healthy, thriving information ecosystem.
Our Results, By The Numbers
Since 2017, Report for America has supported over 450 newsrooms, helping them collectively raise more than $40M in local donations.
In 2024, Report for America partner newsrooms raised $12 million from institutions, individuals, major donors and corporations to cover their portion of their corps members’ salaries and benefits.
How We Help
Our team is committed to helping Report for America newsroom partners raise revenue and build capacity for growth with the ultimate goal being able to create more local news.
We help our newsroom partners in many ways, including writing grants, creating personalized annual fundraising campaign materials, identifying potential donors, brainstorming underwriting opportunities, designing audience engagement efforts and offering moral support. We’re here to help.
We also serve as the fiscal sponsor for more than 60 of our for-profit newsroom partners, helping them unlock philanthropic giving as a revenue stream for their outlet.
Newsroom Success Stories
El Tecolote, a nonprofit newsroom in San Francisco, California, engaged their leadership in fundraising efforts. They set up individual campaign pages for each member of their Board to raise from their personal networks. Their original target was $20K, which they surpassed right away, and set a new target of $50K.
The Post and Courier, a for-profit newsroom in Charleston, South Carolina, provided a list of their 1,200 past donors, and our Local Sustainability Team analyzed the list for donors with the potential to increase their giving. Fifty prospects rose to the top. The Post and Courier team reached out to the donors and has successfully set up twenty meetings to get to know these potential partners better and garner more support for their work.
Seven Days, a newsroom in Vermont, ran its first individual giving campaign to cover the local share of their corps member’s salary. They raised just over $18,000 from more than 175 local donors and secured an additional $50,000 in support from their community foundation and local major donors.
Five partner newsrooms received LION Sustainability Awards in seven different categories, including operational resilience, financial health, community engagement, and journalism impact. Block Club Chicago was awarded Sustainability Business of the Year.
What Our Partners Have to Say
“Being a part of this project has opened new doors for us, and allowed us to connect with incredibly talented young journalists. We continue to be very grateful for the fantastic partnership RFA has provided us”
-NJ Spotlight News
“I, personally, have never felt more supported than when working alongside the Report for America team….It’s literally like having an on-hand consultancy, but better, because they’re mission driven. I particularly am fond of [Local News Sustainability staff] as their personalities shine through, creating a safe space to ask questions, an encouraging space to share inspiration, and a sound space to discuss tactics and strategies. Thank you.”
-CapRadio & The Sacramento Observer
“Over the past year, the [Local News Sustainability] staff have been both caring and responsive, delivering the information we need to continue growing the amount of revenue we generate from individual donors and foundations who support our work. Their services have been essential in helping Seven Days secure funding to support our local journalism.”
-Seven Days
Community News Funds
Collaborations between local newsrooms and community foundations have also proven to be sustainable paths forward for journalism philanthropy. Learn more about what we’ve found in our 2022 Community News Funds report.