Catalytic Capital for Newsrooms:
Where to Start
If you’re leading a newsroom or journalism service group and are curious whether catalytic capital might make sense for you, consider these starting questions:
- Do we have strong business fundamentals and a plan for repayment?
Catalytic capital is best suited for organizations with operational maturity and specific, time-bound uses. - Do we have a clear, revenue-generating strategy?
Repayable capital generally requires some level of predictable income. - Do we have the financial systems and leadership capacity to manage this responsibly?
This includes forecasting, reporting and governance. - Are we comfortable taking on some level of financial risk?
Even flexible capital often comes with repayment expectations. - Do we have trusted advisers or partners to help us evaluate options?
Board members or financial advisers can serve as ongoing resources.
More About Catalytic Capital
Catalytic capital is not something to rush into. It introduces new responsibilities, risks and expectations. Not every need is best met with financing. In many cases, grants, technical assistance or shared services may be more appropriate. You can learn more about existing journalism support organizations through the Journalism Support Exchange.
Where catalytic capital opportunities do exist, each provider has its own focus, eligibility requirements, underwriting approach and process.
Press Forward does not determine eligibility or recommend one provider over another. Each fund or financing vehicle sets its own strategy, criteria and process.
If you are a news organization interested in catalytic capital opportunities, you can explore:
Media Resilience Fund
Housed at the National Community Investment Coalition, the Media Resilience Fund is a recipient of Press Forward’s Open Call on Infrastructure that offers flexible loans and tailored financial guidance to help independent outlets stabilize operations and invest directly in revenue-generating strategies.
Rural News Fund
Managed by Invest Appalachia in partnership with Press Forward Central Appalachia, the Rural News Fund provides flexible working capital, technology, and expertise for the restoration of local news within the nation’s largest concentration of news deserts.
Horizon Fund
Managed by Glen Nelson Center at American Public Media Group, the Horizon Fund invests in early-stage ventures building technology to help journalism organizations reach new and diverse audiences, build institutional resilience, and fight the growing distrust and misinformation fueled by disruption in the media industry.