Press Forward Announces First Open Call for Funding

• Eligibility Criteria
  – Local news outlets that fill coverage gaps with original reporting and have a budget under $1 million;
• Type of Funding: Programmatic
• Target Region: United States
• Application Language: English

Press Forward, the $500 million movement to reimagine local news, launched applications on April 30 for its first open call for funding focused on addressing the long-standing inequalities in journalistic coverage of underserved communities.

For this open call, Press Forward is prioritising organisations that are producing and delivering news and information to underserved audiences such as communities of colour, linguistically diverse communities, low-wealth rural communities, and others not adequately served, reached or represented.

The Open Call is one of two that will take place this year, with additional calls for  proposals in subsequent years. The second, this fall, will focus on local news transformation, with funding guidelines being released in the coming months. Local news initiatives that don’t qualify will be able to fill out an organisational profile on the Press Forward grant making platform JustFund, which coalition funders will have access to.

Funding Information

The Press Forward Open Call on Closing Local Coverage Gaps will provide 100-plus news outlets with an expected $100,000 each in funding, whether they are non-profit or for-profit entities. The funding will be unrestricted, general operating support, allowing the news organizations to spend it as needed to sustain and grow their operations.

See here to learn more and apply.

Access the Fundraising Guide for expert advice on how to improve your fundraising applications and to identify prospective donors.