The Lenfest Institute for Journalism has launched the Philadelphia Local News Sustainability Initiative to help address their unique sustainability needs or provide core operating support.
Donor Name: The Lenfest Institute for Journalism
State: Pennsylvania
City: Philadelphia
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 09/15/2023
Size of the Grant: Up to $100,000
Grant Duration: 2 years
Details:
The Lenfest Institute will actively engage with the Philadelphia Local News Sustainability Initiative grantees to share expertise from local and national partners as well as lessons learned from among this group with the broader community.
The Philadelphia Local News Sustainability Initiative is the latest step in The Lenfest Institute’s investment in local news organizations in Philadelphia, the birthplace American democracy. The goal is to support sustainable local journalism in service of the democracy and to help build a more transparent, connected, and equitable Philadelphia by linking residents to their neighbors, to news organizations, and to information resources that allow them to flourish.
These programs provide financial support and business strategies on audience development, diversified revenue, the use of new technologies, and fundraising opportunities. They have designed the Philadelphia Local News Sustainability Initiative to support partners in the Philadelphia news ecosystem as they address their unique sustainability needs and work to best serve their communities.
The Philadelphia Local News Sustainability Initiative will provide critical business resources to be used to assist with an organization’s primary sustainability functions such as digital transformation, implementation of new revenue activities, customer and community engagement plans, or expansion of mission-critical staffing. The nonprofit media partners are also eligible to apply for core operating support to use in support of their mission and to cover overhead expenses such as rent, salaries, equipment, and other day-to-day costs provided that these investments are tied tangibly to measurable business and sustainability goals.
Funding Information
The Philadelphia Local News Sustainability Initiative will award up to 16 grants to for-profit and nonprofit local news organizations with operating revenue budgets between $500,000 – $5 million. Organizations with revenue or operating budgets outside of this range will be considered case-by-case. The Initiative will award up to 16 grants: 8 two-year grants of up to $100,000 and 8 two-year grants of up to $150,000.
Criteria
This two-year, $2 million grant program will provide core operating support and capacity-building funding to nonprofit and for-profit local news organizations in the Philadelphia region.
For more information, visit Lenfest Institute for Journalism.
