(Feb. 21, 2024) MIAMI – Press Forward, the national movement investing more than $500 million to strengthen communities and local news, announced today that 11 communities are joining its network of local chapters across the country.
The new chapters – Colorado, Lancaster, Pa., Lexington, Ky., Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, South Florida, and Wyoming – bring the total of Press Forward Locals to 17, close to tripling the total number. Press Forward Locals bring together new donors and foundations to expand the resources for local news. These chapters are an opportunity for funders to create place-based initiatives, driven by the specific information needs of their communities. The new chapters join established Press Forward Locals in Alaska, Chicago, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Springfield, Ill. and Wichita.
Maribel Pérez Wadsworth, President and CEO of Knight Foundation, and John Palfrey, President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, made the announcement at the Knight Media Forum, the premiere gathering of leaders in media and philanthropy dedicated to fostering more informed and engaged communities. Watch here.
“The challenge of rebuilding America’s local news landscape is vast, and will depend on multi-layered solutions at the local and national level,” said Dale R. Anglin, Press Forward Director. “Press Forward Locals are critical to our success. These leaders are closest to their communities and can identify authentic approaches for their cities and states.”
Press Forward offers Locals a suite of support to help them succeed. For example, the initiative also announced Wednesday that Press Forward Locals can now apply up to $250,000 in Catalyst Funds to accelerate their work.
“With these Catalyst Funds, Press Forward wants to fuel the movement on the ground, and help these chapters grow faster,” Anglin said. “Over time, these chapters will be building solutions that others across the country can learn from.”
In addition to funding, Press Forward offers local chapters technical assistance, including coaching and training, and peer networks to cultivate shared learning. For communities that are eager to begin investing in local news, Press Forward also unveiled a new toolkit, Press Forward: A Guide for Local Funders, that offers approaches, case studies and resources. The guide is now available at pressforward.news/guide.
“In North Carolina and nationally, more funders are connecting the dots between supporting strong local journalism and advancing their overall impact,” said Lizzy Hazeltine, director of the North Carolina Local News Lab Fund. “In collaboration with Press Forward, we’re committed to bringing more funders into the fold in service of communities. When we take a collaborative approach and distribute funding where it’s needed most, all of our communities are better informed about their health, government, local educational and professional opportunities, and other essential news.”
Each chapter has a lead funder, and the new additions include: Colorado (Gates Family Foundation and the Colorado Health Foundation), Lancaster, Pa. (The Steinman Foundation) Lexington, Ky. (Blue Grass Community Foundation), Mississippi (CREATE Foundation), New Jersey (New Jersey Civic Information Consortium), New Mexico (Thornburg Foundation and the New Mexico Local News Fund), North Carolina (North Carolina Local News Lab Fund) Pittsburgh (Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University) San Antonio (San Antonio Area Foundation), South Florida (The Miami Foundation) and Wyoming (Wyoming Community Foundation).
About Press Forward
Press Forward is a national movement to strengthen our democracy by revitalizing local news and information. A coalition of funders is investing more than $500 million to strengthen local newsrooms, close longstanding gaps in journalism coverage, advance public policy that expands access to local news and scale infrastructure the sector needs to thrive. Press Forward is housed at The Miami Foundation. For more, visit pressforward.news.
For press inquiries, please contact Marika Lynch, communications@pressforward.news.