Colorado Media Project (CMP) is accepting applications for the second round of grants from the Advancing Equity in Local News fund.
Donor Name: Colorado Media Project
State: Colorado
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 12/01/2022
Size of the Grant: $5,000 and $25,000
Details:
Colorado Media Project (CMP)’s Informed Communities Fund has supported dozens of local news outlets and projects that put community listening and information needs at the center of the journalism process — with a special emphasis on better service to and coverage of communities of color, linguistically diverse communities, rural communities, and others not adequately served, reached or represented.
The purpose is to build newsroom and community capacity to address inequities, and to harness a wider array of partners and community assets to create a healthier, more inclusive public square in Colorado.
The second round of Advancing Equity in Local News grants will again support projects that address one or more of these three priorities:
- Support internal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) capacity-building efforts in Colorado newsrooms
- When Colorado newsrooms have inclusive workplace cultures they can successfully recruit, retain and promote reporters who represent the communities they serve, and are better equipped to cover communities with the respect, nuance, and completeness they deserve. The Colorado Trust is providing funding to support DEI capacity-building in Colorado newsrooms aimed at creating inclusive workplace cultures. Project examples: DEI training for newsroom leaders and reporters; content audits or projects to examine trends in sourcing, framing and/or language; leadership development for journalists of color or representing diverse perspectives or abilities; and more.
- Strengthen connections and build trust between Colorado newsrooms and the diverse communities they serve
- Local newsrooms can be hubs for trusted civic news, but building and sustaining that trust requires strong, ongoing, two-way connections between newsrooms and the local community members they serve, especially with communities of color and others whose perspectives and stories have historically been left out of or distorted by coverage. Funding will support newsrooms and community members in developing new projects and durable connections that help meet community needs and amplify diverse perspectives. Project examples: Community engagement or reporting projects co-designed by newsrooms and community groups; support for public accountability boards that provide ongoing and actionable community feedback to newsrooms; systemic approaches to connect newsrooms with expert sources, storytellers and collaborators from diverse communities; and more.
- Support more diverse and inclusive civic news leadership, entrepreneurship, ownership and narratives
- Colorado’s current local journalism workforce is overwhelmingly white and concentrated in the Front Range, which narrows the range of issues and voices amplified in our state. When Coloradans read, see and hear about concerns, struggles, triumphs and perspectives from neighbors and families not like their own, it can build common understanding and point to solutions. Funding will support projects that advance equity and shift narratives through projects developed by and for communities of color, rural communities, and other historically marginalized groups. Project examples: Capacity-building that develops media leadership, entrepreneurship, storytelling or reporting skills among journalists, content creators and residents of color, low-income residents, or those from rural or other underserved communities; support for media ownership transitions, innovations or growth that significantly impact communities of color, rural or other underserved communities; editorial projects led by and for those whose stories are not being told; and more.
Funding Information
The total grant amount per project for most projects will range between $5,000 and $25,000, with potential for more funding for projects that involve multiple partners and/or have the potential to deliver significant impact.
Criteria
- Colorado nonprofit news organizations and small, locally owned and operated for-profit or public benefit newsrooms are qualified to apply as lead applicants; for-profit newsrooms owned by corporations or investors may access project support by applying as part of a collaborative application with a qualified lead applicant
- Nonprofit community organizations that are proposing to collaborate with one or more Colorado news or media organization/s
- Projects initiated by freelance journalists, storytellers, or media entrepreneurs must apply under a fiscal sponsor, which is a nonprofit or for-profit news organization or nonprofit community organization
- Applicants must be located in Colorado and/or projects must primarily serve Colorado communities
- Current and previous CMP grantees are eligible to apply, including recipients of AELN funds in 2022 who are seeking 2023 continuation grants or funding for new projects. Such applicants will be asked to outline whether the newly proposed project relates to their other CMP-funded work.
For more information, visit Equity in Local News Projects.
