When Kimberly Spencer became director of the Colorado Media Project (CMP), home to Press Forward Colorado, she had one clear priority: listen first.

Spencer, who stepped into the role in February 2025, spent her first two months meeting with newsrooms across the state to ask what roadblocks they’re facing. Some answers were expected — like revenue challenges and hiring concerns. Others were more sobering. 

“We started hearing about safety,” Spencer said. “Keeping people safe physically, emotionally, mentally — even in digital spaces.”

Those early conversations helped shape the Colorado Media Project’s three-year strategic plan — one that’s intentionally flexible to be able to address emerging concerns. 

The roadmap also offers clarity, especially when it comes to Press Forward Colorado’s thoughtful, evolving approach to grantmaking.

Since its founding in 2018, the Colorado Media Project has awarded more than 280 grants totaling $7.2 million. That experience now fuels one of the most developed Press Forward chapters in the country. Here’s how they’re doing it — and what other chapters can learn.

Consider the entire ecosystem, not just individual newsrooms

 

From the start, Colorado Media Project has taken a big-picture approach to strengthening the state’s civic information landscape. Rather than evaluating success based solely on individual newsroom outcomes, they focus on how well the entire ecosystem is serving community needs.

That means investing in collaboration, identifying coverage gaps, and understanding how different players — from small, under-resourced outlets to large service-oriented organizations — can work together. It’s a philosophy that resonates with funders, too.

“A lot of funder attention on outcomes for specific newsrooms, especially outcomes for specific reporting projects, can feel pretty problematic from the free press side,” said Sam Moody, CMP’s associate director. “So we’ve focused on understanding and supporting the ecosystem as a whole.”

One way CMP does this is through an annual local news survey conducted in partnership with the Colorado News Collaborative and the Colorado Press Association. The survey now includes more than 140 outlets and provides valuable data on newsroom staffing, revenue distribution, and cost allocations. This aggregated, statewide view informs CMP’s grantmaking strategy, tracks trends over time, and reduces the reporting burden on individual grantees — all while offering funders deeper insight into the health of the field.

“When we make grants, we’re not just trying to put dollars in newsrooms. We’re not even specifically trying to save newsrooms,” Moody explained. “We’re trying to help Colorado get to a place where our civic information ecosystem meets the needs of our communities.”

Identify your focus — and commit for the long-term 

 

Press Forward Colorado’s approach to grantmaking is rooted in three priority areas: increasing access to trusted local news and information, advancing equity and inclusion in coverage and newsroom leadership, and supporting the long-term sustainability of local journalism across the state.

To meet these goals, CMP has intentionally designed a set of grant programs that support a range of needs. Many of these programs are offered year over year, which offers continuity for the chapter as well as local newsrooms.

The Advancing Equity in Local News fund provides general operating support to small news outlets that serve historically marginalized communities. In 2024, CMP revamped the program to offer larger, more tailored grants. “We right-sized the grants so the investment matches the organization’s budget,” Spencer explained. Only outlets with annual budgets under $1 million are eligible to apply, with awards now ranging from $10,000 to $30,000.

The Newsroom Sustainability Grant supports project-based work focused on stabilizing revenue or cutting costs — with a strong emphasis on collaboration. Grants range from $20,000 to $50,000 and are designed to help newsrooms grow capacity while exploring new, more efficient ways of operating. “We heard directly from newsrooms that sustainability was a top concern,” said Spencer. “This fund responds to that.” Grantees will be announced this August at the CMP Summit.

The Safety and Resilience Fund offers rapid-response funding of up to $5,000 to address urgent physical, emotional, or digital safety needs. It’s the only program that doesn’t require a formal application — newsrooms can simply reach out to CMP to access support.

You can see CMP’s 2025 grantees here.

Looking ahead, CMP hopes to shift toward larger, multi-year grants to reduce the pressure of annual applications and to create more stability for grantees. “We’re not going to be able to give as many grants,” Spencer acknowledged. With that in mind, they’re hoping to make larger investments that make a notable impact.

To make that happen, CMP is also working with funders to secure multi-year commitments on their end — ensuring that the chapter’s long-term support for newsrooms is both ambitious and realistic.

A shared strategy means bigger results

 

Press Forward Colorado is co-chaired by five foundations: The Colorado Health Foundation, Gates Family Foundation, Rose Community Foundation, The Colorado Trust, and Democracy Fund. While the Colorado Media Project leads day-to-day operations, the shared leadership model reflects a core belief: they don’t work in isolation.

Through its robust funder network, CMP coordinates strategy, facilitates learning, and encourages co-funding. This collaborative approach prevents siloed investments, minimizes duplication, and enables funders to address complex, systemic challenges that no single organization could solve alone.

That same strength-in-numbers philosophy powers the annual #newsCOneeds matching challenge — a statewide campaign that helps Colorado newsrooms showcase their community impact and raise individual support. Each year since 2018, CMP has supported local nonprofit and for-profit outlets with $5,000 matching grants, campaign materials, and training.

“There are lots of reasons to do a matching campaign,” said Moody. “It exemplifies the virtuous cycle of the community expressing an information need, the newsroom responding to that, and then coming back to the community and telling the story about how they met that need. From there, they fundraise off that relationship that they’ve built.”

Start small

 

For chapters just beginning their grantmaking journey, the team at Press Forward Colorado’s advice is simple: don’t wait for perfection.

“I think what you actually need to launch grantmaking would surprise people,” said Spencer. “Start where you’re at.”

Even small investments can have a big impact — especially in local journalism, where most newsrooms are under-resourced. “The need in this space is intense,” said Moody. “Don’t underestimate how transformational small grants can be in helping a local newsroom serve.”

Spencer and Moody also advise chapters to be mindful of the power funders carry. CMP makes a point to avoid a “funder knows best” dynamic — stepping back when appropriate and encouraging others to lead. They’ve also found that transparency, even in difficult moments, has helped build lasting trust.

“You have to be able to say, ‘We’re just one part of the ecosystem — not the center of it,’” Spencer said. “That humility, and that honesty, goes a long way.”

Learn more about Press Forward’s local chapters.