American Journalism Project Announces New Nonprofit Newsroom Grantees, New Funding Partners
Venture Philanthropy Organization Expands Work Rebuilding Local News Around the Country
Dec. 17, 2020 — Washington, D.C. — The American Journalism Project (AJP) expands its commitment to cultivating innovative local news coverage by adding three new nonprofit newsroom grantees. Documented (New York City), Montana Free Press (Helena, Montana), and The Beacon (Kansas City, Missouri) will receive financial support to further their extraordinary local watchdog journalism and create an organizational infrastructure that fosters stability. The newsroom founders talk more about their work and the AJP grant in this video: AJP 2020 Grantees.
“As local news continues to rapidly decline across our country, 2020 has magnified the importance of keeping communities informed,” says AJP CEO Sarabeth Berman. “These pioneering news organizations give us a sense of optimism for the future of nonprofit local news. We are excited to support and learn from these exemplary leaders in the field.”
AJP welcomes the following newsrooms to its portfolio:
Documented (New York City): Dedicated to covering New York City’s immigrants and the policies that affect them, Documented was founded in 2018 by Mazin Sidahmed and Max Siegelbaum to fill an information gap, especially for Spanish-speaking immigrants. Watchdog groups, including Amnesty International and the ACLU, cite Documented’s investigations, and the industry celebrates the site’s innovations in reaching its readers, including through Semanal — a Spanish-language newsletter delivered through WhatsApp. The American Journalism Project grant will fund operating capacity for Documented as it expands its newsgathering for the Spanish-speaking immigrant community, builds similar services in other languages to reach different immigrant communities in NYC, and diversifies its revenue sources.
Montana Free Press (Helena, Montana): The Montana news organization that provides in-depth news, information, and analysis for the state was founded in 2016 by former Great Falls Tribune capital bureau chief John Adams, whose investigative reporting was featured in the PBS documentary “Dark Money.” Following the organization’s work covering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Montana, the state instituted a mandatory two-week quarantine for out-of-state visitors and began supplying county-level testing data. The American Journalism Project grant will be used to build a revenue and operations team as the organization expands further across the state, diversifies its revenue and builds toward identifying and filling even more critical information-need gaps.
The Beacon (Kansas City, Missouri): The online news organization is focused on in-depth journalism in the public interest, covering Kansas and Missouri. It was founded in 2020 by Kelsey Ryan, who previously worked at The Kansas City Star on the investigative team that was a finalist for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in Public Service. The American Journalism Project is working with the Wichita Community Foundation to help The Beacon expand into a network of newsrooms across Kansas and Missouri.
The grant from the American Journalism Project will fund The Beacon to add key early leadership positions to the team for the planned expansion.
In addition to these grants, AJP provided funding to two startup organizations earlier this year:
Mountain State Spotlight, which launched in September, was co-founded by former Charleston Gazette-Mail Executive Editor Greg Moore, MacArthur genius grant recipient Ken Ward, Jr., and Pulitzer Prize winner Eric Eyre. Based in Charleston, West Virginia, Mountain State Spotlight is dedicated to making West Virginia a better place by giving citizens the information they need and producing “sustained outrage” journalism that provokes awareness and attention until reforms are made.
Capital B will provide original, localized investigative, national and community reporting to fill the vast information needs of the Black community around the country. Conceptualized and announced by Lauren Williams, Vox editor-in-chief, and Akoto Ofori-Atta, former managing editor of The Trace, Capital B is receiving support from the American Journalism Project in preparation for a 2021 launch.
These newsrooms all join a remarkable group of local news organizations that have received grants from AJP: Centro de Periodismo Investigativo (San Juan, Puerto Rico), City Bureau (Chicago), Cityside (Oakland), The Connecticut Mirror (Hartford), inewsource (San Diego), Mississippi Today (Ridgeland), MLK50: Justice Through Journalism (Memphis), NOISE (Omaha, Nebraska), Underscore (Portland, Oregon), WyoFile (Lander, Wyoming), VTDigger (Montpelier, Vermont).
The American Journalism Project will continue to grow its portfolio with additional grant investments throughout 2021.
AJP Receives New Funding Partners
American Journalism Project is pleased to announce a new $1.5 million grant from the Boston-based Abrams Foundation. The multiyear grant will provide general support to further the American Journalism Project’s mission: investing in the growth of local nonprofit news and remaking the local news ecosystem to better serve communities and democracy.
The American Journalism Project also has received a $500,000 grant from the New York-based Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation. The two-year commitment begins in 2021 and will also help further AJP’s overall mission.
“The Abrams Foundation has long been at the forefront of supporting pioneering journalism and is a respected leader in the field. We are delighted to have their experience and perspective bolster our community of support,” says Berman. “The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation has been a force for good across many important social sectors both within the United States and abroad. We are grateful to have these two leading philanthropists alongside us as we build a philanthropic movement to uphold local journalism and the vital role it plays in our democracy.”
About the American Journalism Project
The American Journalism Project (AJP) is committed to a vision in which an independent, resilient, and ubiquitous civic press represents, informs, and engages every member of the diverse public it serves. Founded by pioneers in nonprofit journalism, AJP is a venture philanthropy organization that makes investments in mission-driven nonprofit local news organizations and social entrepreneurs, provides strategic support, and is building a movement to reimagine the future of local news.
Media Contact: Kymberlee Norsworthy / kymberlee@theajp.org
Clockwise, L — R:
John Adams, Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief, Montana Free Press
Mazin Sidahmed, Co-Executive Editor, Documented
Kelsey Ryan, Founder and Publisher, The Beacon
Max Siegelbaum, Co-Executive Director, Documented
