We work with local partners — journalists, ecosystem builders, and funders — to understand the needs of their area through the lens of their local expertise. To date, we have invested with partners in the following regions:

Chicago

In the Chicago ecosystem, we fund a grassroots alliance of independent community media; a funder collaborative supporting local journalists of color; and a transformative local news organization that equips Chicagoans with tools to eliminate information inequity.

Grantees:

• Field Foundation’s Media & Storytelling Portfolio
• Chicago Independent Media Alliance
• City Bureau

Colorado

We fund the Colorado Media Project, which pools local and national funding, to ask hard questions to address inequities in its journalism, and to support the transformation of the state’s ecosystem, including launching a network hub for local news organizations, Colorado News Collaborative.

New Jersey

We fund a network hub for New Jersey’s local news outlets that also serves as a national center with expertise on collaborative journalism, and a joint fund that supports the ecosystem, including the operations of the first-in-the country publicly funded New Jersey Civic Information Consortium.

Grantees:

• Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University
• New Jersey Civic Information Consortium
• New Jersey Local News Lab Fund

New Mexico

We fund the New Mexico Local News Fund in collaboration with the Thornburg Foundation, which brings together funding, research, and experts to support the transformation of the state’s local news ecosystem and serve as a backbone connecting the state’s news outlets in collaborative efforts.

North Carolina

We fund the North Carolina Local News Lab Fund, which brings together local and national funders and advocates who care about how community information needs are met across the state, to strategically deploy funding that serves local needs, including launching a backbone hub organization, NC Local News Workshop, to serve the ecosystem.

Oklahoma

We fund the Oklahoma Media Center in partnership with the Inasmuch Foundation. This early-stage center draws in journalists who care about improving the coverage of the region and want to collaborate on reporting that addresses local residents’ needs.

Nationally

We also support national organizations that catalyze local news transformation in communities across the country like the Institute for Nonprofit News, Local Independent Online News Publishers, OpenNews, and PressOn (see our grants database for the full list of Public Square grantees).

Beyond our funding we also work with partners in regions across the country who are strengthening local news ecosystems, including California, Michigan, Ohio, Kansas, Georgia and more. This ecosystem approach is increasingly seen as a critical strategy for rebuilding and reimagining local news across the country.

To stay up-to-date with our partners’ work across the country, subscribe to our Local Fix newsletter. We love to have conversations and encourage you to reach out to Teresa Gorman, program manager, Public Square program at tgorman [@] democracyfund.org if you have questions or would like to connect (Note: we do not accept unsolicited grant proposals).

Are you a funder interested in investing in local journalism? We’d recommend checking out our Guide to Assessing Your Local News Ecosystem, and considering getting involved with joint fundraising efforts like NewsMatch, Racial Equity in Journalism Fund, or local funding coalitions like the Colorado Media Project. To chat about options and ideas, please reach out to Teresa Gorman.