URL Media's S. Mitra Kalita, center, talks on a panel about Catalytic Capital.

Increasing access to capital for community media enterprises

Case Study: Media Resilience Fund Increasing access to capital for community media enterprises. Partners: URL Media, National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), Rebuild Local News With special thanks to Andrew Nachison, a foundational advisor and early catalyst for the Media Resilience Fund. If you are a publisher interested in accessing the Media Resilience Fund please contact Garry Pierre-Pierre, Director of Partnerships … Read More

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An innovative, place-rooted model for strengthening local news

Case Study: Rural News Fund An innovative, place-rooted model for strengthening local news Partners: Invest Appalachia, Appalachia Funders Network, Press Forward Central Appalachia, Media Growth Partners, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Context / Starting Conditions The Rural News Fund was launched by Invest Appalachia (IA), a regional impact investment fund born out of the Appalachia Funders ... Read More

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The Gates Foundation helped the National Trust finance a new local printing press.

Place-based lending to enable a more robust local news ecosystem.

The Gates Family Foundation helped the National Trust finance a new local printing press. Case Study: Colorado News Ecosystem Place-based, mission-driven lending to enable a more robust local news ecosystem.  Lead Organization: Gates Family Foundation Context / Starting Conditions At the start, Gates Family Foundation in Denver, Colorado had more than a decade of experience in public media, impact investing, ... Read More

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Hark Audio receives a 2024 Next Challenge award.

Investing in early-stage startups to drive public media innovation

Case Study: Glen Nelson Center  Investing in early-stage startups to drive public media innovation.  Host Organization: American Public Media Group  Context / Starting Conditions  Glen Nelson Center was established by American Public Media Group (APMG) to formalize and scale the organization’s long-standing entrepreneurial culture and to support and scale innovation at APMG and throughout public media. Innovation at APMG had … Read More

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Press Forward Chicago grant recipients gather for a Peer Learning Community training led by Becky Vevea of Chalkbeat Chicago and CJ Ortuño of Borderless Magazine. Photo by Hannah Carroll

Local efforts, real momentum

January 29, 2026

By Christina Shih

By Christina Shih When we launched Press Forward, we believed the strongest path forward for local news had to start locally. That belief now spans 41 Press Forward Locals across 31 states — chapters bringing together funders and partners to support news and information in the places they call home. What’s emerging is more than growth. These chapters are taking … Read More

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Organizer Diego Morales speaks at a rally before taking to the streets to protest ICE. Image by Camilla Forte for Borderless Magazine

Press Forward Chicago moved quickly to support immigration reporting when it mattered most

January 28, 2026

By Katie Hawkins-Gaar

When Tracy Baim first began talking with funders about support for immigration coverage in Chicago, she had no way of knowing how quickly the need would become urgent. After starting her role as executive director of Press Forward Chicago in January 2025, Baim began conversations with the Walder Foundation and the Joyce Foundation about expanding support for immigration reporting. She … Read More

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Local News Leader Spotlight: Henok Mengistu, Ethiopique

By Mark Glaser

Impact snapshot from a Press Forward grantee newsroom By Mark Glaser Who: Henok Mengistu, founder and publisher of Ethiopique Where: The “DMV”: Washington, D.C. metro area with Maryland and Virginia What: Ethiopique is the only Amharic-language local news and community platform in the U.S., reaching more than 100,000 Ethiopian and Eritrean people in the District of Columbia region. The site … Read More

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Community Governance First: Why Needs Must Drive Funding

Angilee Shah, Charlottesville Tomorrow As told to the team at the Local News 2036 project. When I think about the three Local News 2036 scenarios — where commerce dominates, where there's collapse, where the field reimagines its outcomes—I think the reimagined version and the very dystopian AI-driven commercial version are already here at the same time where I live. We’ve ... Read More

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The Crisis of Agency: Why It’s Time To Build What We Need For Ourselves

Richard Young, CivicLex As told to the team at the Local News 2036 project. The scenario that resonates most with me is “Trust, Justice and a New American Way.” It articulates a vision for the future of this field that addresses what I see as the crisis of our times: the crisis of agency. People don't feel any sense of ... Read More

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No Permanent Enemies: Local News Faces Existential Threats that Demand Unity

Darryl Holliday, Commoner Company As told to the team at the Local News 2036 project. There are threats to all of us right now — whether we're TV or newspaper or nonprofit — and we have to recognize that these threats threaten us all, even if we're in different parts of the field. Big tech companies and federal government actors ... Read More

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