The Local News Initiative of Southern Arizona aims to strengthen local journalism in the Southern Arizona community and fill critical gaps in local news and information.
Donor Name: Community Foundation for Southern Arizona
State: Arizona
County: Cochise County (AZ), Graham County (AZ), Greenlee County (AZ), Pima County (AZ), Pinal County (AZ), Santa Cruz County (AZ), Yuma County (AZ)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/17/2025
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Local News Initiative grants are designed to help strengthen the community by supporting robust local journalism and news and information providers in Southern Arizona. With more journalists producing original reporting and community news and information, the people in Tucson, Pima County, and across Southern Arizona can become better informed and rely on local journalism to hold the government and other institutions to account.
Funding Information
Requests for grants may range from $15,000 to $75,000.
Eligibility Criteria
Local news organizations, journalists, and local news and information providers committed to informing the people of Southern Arizona with quality community news and information and shining a light or informing the public about issues of local concern may apply. If a previous grantee, the organization must be current in all grant reporting to CFSA.
- Geography: Applicants must be located in OR lead projects that increase news coverage and demonstrate charitable benefit to the community in the Southern Arizona region (defined as Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, and Yuma counties – south of the Gila River).
- Alignment with Initiative Goals: Proposals must be in alignment with the goals of the Local News Initiative of Southern Arizona.
- Organization Types: Applicants from nonprofit news organizations, for-profit news organizations, and independent community news providers are invited to apply.
- Support Types:
- Nonprofit news organizations will be eligible for operating support.
- Proposals from for-profit news entities will be considered for project-based support that demonstrates charitable benefit to the community.
- Formats: Varied news formats and media distribution channels that are eligible for consideration, from broadcast to print to digital to SMS to social media.
- Preferences:
- Preference will be given to applications that demonstrate:
- Commitment and investment in the Southern Arizona community.
- Engagement strategies to reach traditionally underrepresented communities.
- Commitment to the highest ethical and quality standards with a clear plan to publish and distribute their work widely.
- Commitment to producing accurate, evidence-based, and verified information that is required to function in a free society.
- The capacity to produce and deliver news and information that community members need.
- Preference will be given to applications that demonstrate:
- Not Eligible
- Organizations that have no affiliation with a newsroom in Southern Arizona.
- Organizations with no plans to publish or distribute their work in Southern Arizona.
- Individuals and freelancers are not eligible.
- Applicants whose work is primarily targeted for national audiences outside of Southern Arizona.
- Projects proposed by newsrooms owned by large corporations or investment firms that may have greater access to institutional support.
For more information, visit Community Foundation for Southern Arizona.