Center for Cooperative Media and Rita Allen Foundation announce 10 awardees for the civic science media collaborations program
The Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University, in collaboration with Rita Allen Foundation, is proud to announce 10 recipients of the 2025 Civic Science Media Collaborations program. The program supports media, science, and community projects that build public trust, deepen science literacy, and spur informed civic participation.
Launched in 2023, the program has shown how local collaborations can spark new approaches to reporting, build stronger ties between science and the public, and create lasting community impact. Past grantees have produced investigative series, citizen-science projects, bilingual public forums, and tools that continue to serve their communities.
This year, the program is awarding nearly $150,000 in funding across 10 projects nationwide. Together, these initiatives will reach thousands of residents in urban and rural communities, empower young people and underrepresented voices, and develop new ways to make science accessible, relatable, and actionable. This year’s program drew a record-breaking 70 applications from across the country, reflecting the growing momentum for initiatives that connect science, media, and communities in meaningful ways.
Together, these initiatives will engage communities from Hawai‘i to Florida to Nebraska, helping them navigate pressing issues such as air quality, extreme weather, climate change, public health, and emerging technologies.
“It is exciting to celebrate these remarkable journalists, scientists, and community members collaborating to build civic science media around the country,” said Elizabeth Christopherson, President and CEO of the Rita Allen Foundation. “Through the pioneering work of the Center for Cooperative Media, momentum is growing to meet the demand for new models of reporting and engagement that put science in the hands of the communities it serves.”
“At a time when communities face challenges ranging from climate change to misinformation, these collaborations show the power of connecting science with storytelling and lived experience,” said Stefanie Murray, director of the Center for Cooperative Media. “We are proud to support projects that not only share knowledge but invite the public into the process of discovery.”
✨ What’s new in 2025
This year’s program builds on lessons from the 2023 initiative, with several key enhancements:
- Longer timelines: New projects may span up to 15 months, while existing partnerships will have 9–12 months, allowing more time to strengthen relationships and deepen collaboration.
- Hands-on coaching: Participants will benefit from regular check-ins, peer-to-peer meetings, and tailored support designed to align goals, troubleshoot challenges, and ensure meaningful community engagement.
📌 About the selection process
The 70 submitted applications were reviewed by an external panel of experts representing journalism, philanthropy, and nonprofit leadership. That panel included:
- Ousman Cheek, Civic Science Fellow, Climate Central
- Devon Collins, Director, Dana Frontiers Program
- Catherine Devine, Civic Science Fellow, Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University
- Alex Jakana, Senior Program Officer, Gates Foundation
- Stefanie Murray, Director, Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University
- Lauren Pabst, Senior Program Officer, Journalism and Media, MacArthur Foundation
- Meaghan Parker, Executive Director, The Council for the Advancement of Science Writing
- Karen Rundlet, Executive Director and CEO, Institute for Nonprofit News
“We are deeply grateful to our review committee for lending their expertise to this process. Their perspectives ensured a thoughtful and rigorous selection of projects that reflect the diversity of approaches needed to connect science, media, and communities,” said Catherine Devine, Civic Science Fellow at the Center for Cooperative Media, who led the search process.
🏆 Meet the 2025 awardees
El Tímpano (California)
With UC Berkeley and Communities for a Better Environment, El Tímpano will equip East Oakland’s Latino and Mayan immigrants with home air monitors and filtration, deliver bilingual workshops (Spanish/Mam), and use its SMS network to inform residents and power accountability journalism on air quality, health disparities, and policy.
Kaheāwai Media (Hawaii)
In partnership with Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization and Firewise homestead committees, Kaheāwai Media will co-create a multimedia wildfire-preparedness toolkit rooted in Indigenous knowledge, climate science, and emergency planning — documenting repeatable community-developed risk-reduction strategies across Hawaiʻi.
Public Health Watch (Texas)
Public Health Watch will host two civic science town halls in petrochemical-impacted Highlands and Channelview (Harris County), convening residents, scientists, health experts, and advocates to translate evidence into action, connect services, and inform ongoing investigative reporting.
Tampa Bay Times Newspaper in Education / Florida Press Educational Services (Florida)
Building on the forthcoming Times feature “Shell Shocked” about sea turtle rescue amid extreme climate events, partners will create a curriculum supplement, citizen-science activities, and virtual seminars linking journalists, aquarium scientists, teachers, and students across 50 public high schools in Hillsborough County.
Cape Fear River Watch + Encore Magazine (North Carolina)
Tides of Change will translate local climate and flooding data into community-centered stories, events, and participatory journalism — linking science to policy questions on wetlands, development, housing, and insurance costs in New Hanover County.
DWELL Lab at the University of Rhode Island + ecoRI News (Rhode Island)
Writing Wild will co-create a multimedia “people’s field guide” to URI’s North Woods, bringing together journalists, scientists, students, and neighbors, and publish a “how-to” resource so other communities can replicate the place-based model.
Scientiae + WFSU Public Media + Florida A&M University (Florida)
Everyday Science, Everyday Voices is an eight-week pilot where residents and youth co-design mini-investigations (e.g., heat mapping, air quality, AI bias) and co-produce accessible media (audio postcards, photo essays, bilingual tip-sheets).
StoryKeepers + Crosswinds (Oklahoma)
StoryKeepers trains Indigenous youth in Tulsa to co-create climate, health, and technology stories with STEM professionals — building on Crosswinds’ Citizen Journalism Project and partnering with the AISES Green Country Professional Chapter.
University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska)
A partnership will strengthen tornado preparedness in Elkhorn, NE, merging resilience modeling (IN-CORE), surveys on trusted messengers, and journalism with WOWT-TV to co-produce actionable preparedness “storylines” and community workshops.
University of Maryland + Key West Newswire (Florida)
The Rooster Recognition Project uses Key West’s free-roaming chickens to teach AI ethics and surveillance literacy. Residents will help train and test a community-built image-recognition system, then join public dialogues on bias, error, and the civic implications of AI.
About the Center for Cooperative Media: The Center is a primarily grant-funded program of the College of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. Its mission is to grow and strengthen local journalism and support an informed society in New Jersey and beyond. The Center is supported with funding from Montclair State University, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Democracy Fund, the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium, Rita Allen Foundation, Inasmuch Foundation, Google News Initiative, and John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. For more information, visit centerforcooperativemedia.org.
About the Rita Allen Foundation: The Rita Allen Foundation is a venture philanthropy organization that invests in transformative ideas in their earliest stages to leverage their growth and promote breakthrough solutions to significant problems. The Foundation is developing new investments, research, and coalitions to strengthen civic science as a growing field of study and area of practice committed to ensuring that all people shape and benefit from science, technology, and innovation. In addition, the Foundation invests in early-career biomedical scholars to do pioneering research, seeds innovative approaches to fostering inclusive civic engagement, and develops knowledge and networks to build the effectiveness of the philanthropic sector.
