Philanthropy has become an important revenue stream for news organizations and journalists in the U.S. since the 2008 recession. It gained higher relevance when the industry saw its business strategies severely affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also true that these philanthropic funds have not been distributed equitably among industry players, whether they are for-profit or nonprofit newsrooms.
As philanthropic spending continues to grow in the journalism industry, the Center for Community Media has partnered with The Lenfest Institute for Journalism and its News Philanthropy Network to train teams from Asian, Black and Latino newsrooms around the country to develop business strategies and new revenue streams around fundraising.
“Community media has been one of the main sources of trustworthy news and information for migrating and marginalized groups in the U.S., especially during these times of crisis, but –as any other independent, small-to-mid-sized business serving Asian, Black and Latino audiences– they face many challenges, including the lack of fair access to capital and revenue streams,” said Jesenia De Moya Correa, who leads the Latino Media Initiative at the CCM.
The Fundraising for Community Media program is set to train both for-profit and nonprofit newsroom teams in tools and skills in fundraising, models and strategies development, grant writing, revenue planning and the philanthropic landscape as a whole. The intent is to provide the media makers with some of the resources needed to expand or solidify their access to these types of revenue streams.
“I am thrilled to announce this program on the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day,” said Cheryl Thompson-Morton, who directs the Black Media initiative and leads the cohort-based program alongside Kavitha Rajagopalan of the Asian Media Initiative and De Moya Correa of the Latino Media Initiative.
“Black media was instrumental in mobilizing the freedom movement of the 1960s, and today, community media is playing a similar role in advancing the civil rights and social justice of our time. This program will help ensure these outlets are sustainable now and into the future,” said Thompson-Morton.
It’s designed for journalists and media professionals working in newsrooms in the U.S. that serve audiences on the mainland and its territories, and is based on the expertise and curricula created by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Participants will be mentored and coached by other community news media publishers in the industry and obtain practical experience over three months, from April through June 2024. Instructors will meet with participants on a biweekly basis.
“The Lenfest Institute is committed to building solutions for the next era of local news. As an increasing number of funders are recognizing the importance of supporting local journalism that serves all communities, we’re proud to partner with the Center for Community Media to support community news organizations and help equip them with the skills they need to make philanthropy a sustainable part of their revenue plans,” said Lenfest Institute Chief Advancement Officer Annie McCain Madonia.
Program participants can look forward to exchanging knowledge and resources with other culturally sensitive media instructors. Participants will learn about engagement tactics used by peers and coaches, how to dismantle taboos around accessing money, and ways to connect these learnings to their outlet’s strategies for delivering public service journalism.
“AAPI community media have been filling glaring gaps in journalism for centuries, keeping our communities connected and informed through many assaults on our safety, from the Chinese Exclusion Act and Japanese internment, nuclear testing in Pacific Island territories, post-9/11 immigration crackdowns and anti-Asian hate amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Asian Media Initiative director, Kavitha Rajagopalan. “They have innovated, again and again, to keep serving our communities, and we are so excited to support them in building out a critical revenue stream that has been inaccessible to many for far too long.”
The program will serve 12 to 15 newsrooms between April and June. Applications open on January 12 and will close on February 19, 2024.