By Ava Motes*
Executives at nonprofit news organizations can expand their funding sources by refining how they tell their company’s story, engaging nontraditional donors and forming partnerships beyond their industry.
That’s according to a panel of key players in media philanthropy speaking at the 26th International Symposium on Online Journalism, or ISOJ, on Thursday, March 27, about the role of multi-million dollar funds in creating a sustainable, revitalized future for the news industry.
“You are a naturally competitive industry. You cannot be that going forward,” said Dale Anglin, director of Press Forward, a coalition that invests in local newsrooms across the U.S. “We have to be efficient about our money and our time, and we have to work together.”
The panel also included top representatives from three other funds supporting nonprofit media: the American Journalism Project, the Brazilian Journalism Support Fund and the International Fund for Public Interest Media. They underscored how they’re moving toward a thriving news ecosystem — locally and globally.
“The role of philanthropy has changed, not just here in the United States, but around the world,” said panel chair Jim Brady, vice president for journalism at the Knight Foundation.
Brady reflected on his three decades in journalism. He said that after years of digital technology decimating legacy news organizations’ traditional advertising model, he’s hopeful news funds will be a “sparking force” in creating new, healthier business models.
Sarabeth Berman, chief executive of the American Journalism Project, a venture fund investing in nonprofit local newsrooms, said her organization is committed to not only financing but sustaining the future of local journalism.
“The question is,” Berman said, “how can national philanthropy support local news if we assume that national philanthropy can’t fund local journalism in every community across America in perpetuity?”
Berman said the answer is “catalytic” investment — a strategic approach that aims to empower newsrooms with the infrastructure, technical wherewithal and public support needed to bring additional revenue.
Since launching in 2019, the project has invested in 50 nonprofit news organizations in 36 states.
“These organizations are growing,” Berman said. “They’re diversifying their revenue. They’re adding journalists, and they’re demonstrating what’s possible in the effort to rejuvenate local news across the country.”
Berman said the decline of local news is having real life consequences on local communities. The loss of local news is linked to declining voting rates and community polarization, she said. And philanthropy offers a potential antidote by uniting communities around a cause and improving the quality of news content.
“Philanthropy plays an essential role in upholding values — independent journalism that prioritizes civic value over page views, that builds community trust and that operates without allegiance to party profit, ideology or power,” Berman said.
Carolina Oms, director of partnerships and fundraising for the Brazilian Journalism Support Fund, said she’s witnessed how declining access to diversified local news has impacted communities in her country.
Oms said most job investment is concentrated in southeastern Brazil, disproportionately the country’s richest region. Disparities in funding and information access have prompted her to think outside the box, she said.
One innovative strategy Oms highlighted was appealing to nontraditional funding sources and collaborating beyond the news industry. It’s a skill she said she learned in her prior role co-founding the AzMina Institute, which leads fundraising efforts for feminist journalism, technology and data projects.
“I think journalism has been very comfortable in a position of hierarchy between us and the sources,” Oms said. “We need to collaborate with techies. We need to collaborate with people from digital. We need to collaborate with people who talk about the things our media talks about.”
Collaboration was also a central focus for Vanina Berghella, regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean for the International Fund for Public Interest Media. Since its opening in 2022, the fund has deployed $23 million in grants in 26 countries.
When working with partners across the world, Berghella said it’s important to consider the needs and experiences of locals rather than pursuing one-size-fits-all solutions.
“We understand the difference between the country, the context, the needs of each media market and their audience,” Berghella said. “It’s very important not to replicate the same seed.”
Anglin, the director of Press Forward, echoed the value of supporting the broader journalism industry through local approaches.
Anglin manages a coalition of roughly 90 funders committed to investing $550 million in local news. Angnlin said it maintains a localized focus through a “ground up,” localized approach.
“It doesn’t matter what type of state you’re in, what type of community — red, blue, purple. It doesn’t matter if you’re small. Everyone wants local news,” Anglin said. “So we haven’t had to sell this.”
Although it’s not difficult to make communities care about local news, Anglin said securing funding can be trickier.
“You do a great job of telling everybody else’s story,” Anglin told the room full of news professionals. “You don’t do a good job of telling your own. And you’ve got to learn how to do that.”
Anglin also encouraged journalists to consider local funding sources beyond established funds, such as individual donations from high net worth individuals or collaborations with local universities, community centers and even other media organizations.
Anglin emphasized the importance of writing well-researched grant proposals and building relationships with individual donors.
“There are people who want to support you, and you can start small, but don’t forget about high net worth individuals,” Anglin said.
Brady, the chair, closed the panel with a question on how future funding might be impacted by political attacks on the media. The panelists agreed there is an increased need for funding legal support for journalists.
“An industry that is in financial turmoil is less well-equipped to handle these challenges,” Berman said. “So supporting organizations to become financially sustainable is essential.”
*Ava Motes is a senior at the University of Texas at Austin studying journalism and Plan II Honors. She is a freelance journalist and has been published in Edible Austin, The Alcalde, The Daily Texan and Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine. She’s writing her honors thesis on the impact of generative AI on local news. When she’s not writing or researching, you can find her hiking the Greenbelt, scouring Austin Creative Reuse for her latest craft inspiration or catching live music with her friends.