Local Media Association
Local Media Association (LMA) is a 501(c)(6) trade association headquartered in Lake City, Michigan, founded in 1971. The organization serves as a leading resource for local news and information providers, bringing together more than 3,000 newspapers, TV stations, radio stations, directories, digital news sites, and research and development partners. LMA operates with 19 employees and focuses on the business transformation side of local media operations.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$2.1M
-21.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$226K
-77.7% YoY
Grant Count
15
-6.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$15K
-76.2% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
LMA's core mission is to help local media companies discover new and sustainable business models. The organization describes itself as "intensely focused" on this transformation work, recognizing that the future of local journalism depends on developing viable business approaches.
LMA's strategic work is organized around four pillars:
- Business transformation
- Journalism funded by philanthropy
- Industry collaboration
- Sustainability for publishers of color
Current program areas include:
- Reader Revenue Accelerators: Equips local media organizations with skills to innovate in digital subscriptions, memberships, and donations. Successful participants receive grants to experiment with new ideas, technologies, or marketing strategies and share findings with the industry.
- Family and Independent Media Sustainability (FIMS) Lab: Supports family-owned and independent local media organizations through strategic business transformation work aimed at long-run sustainability and financial independence.
- Branded Content Project: A partnership initiative that leads advertising leaders from local media outlets to develop tools and methods for branded and sponsored content revenue.
- Accelerate Local: Fuses the experience of local media with the ingenuity of leading technology and business partners to reinvent business models for news.
- Lab for Journalism Funding: Supports newsrooms in developing sustainable funding models through philanthropy.
Grantmaking
LMA provides grants to participants in its Reader Revenue Accelerators program to experiment with new ideas, technologies, or marketing strategies. Successful participants share their findings with the broader industry.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
LMA serves a national membership base across the United States, with members ranging from large publicly traded companies to smaller, family-owned operations. The organization's programs operate at national, state, and regional levels.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Local Media Association (2024)
- Total revenues: $1,302,843
- Total expenses: $1,615,598
- Total assets: $2,096,512
- Employees: 19
Annual revenue estimate: $10,000,000 (from alternative source)
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $2,096,512 | $2,667,250 | $3,525,556 |
| Revenue | $1,302,843 | $2,767,502 | $4,247,970 |
| Expenses | $1,615,598 | $2,602,626 | $4,463,902 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $91,697 | $44,075 | $43,579 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
96 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Local Media Association
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Nancy Lane: President
- Julia Campbell: Co-CEO (joined November 2025)
- Frank Mungeam: Chief Innovation Officer
- Dana Piccoli: Managing Director
Board members include Rich Hoover, Deanna F, Eric Barnes, and Iván Adaime.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| TRACY BROWN | SECRETARY | 3 | — |
| STEPHANIE SLAGLE | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| TODD HANDY | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| TOBY COLLODORA | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| SONNY MESSIAH JILES | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| SONALI VERMA | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| RICH HOOVER | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| LIZ WHITE | SECOND VICE CHAIRMAN | 3 | — |
| JUDI TERZOTIS | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| KEVIN LLOYD | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| AMBER ALDRICH | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| KEN DOCTOR | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| JODELLE BAILEY | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| DEANNA FOX | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| JEFF MORIARTY | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| CHRIS WEATHERLY | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| CYNTHIA DUBOSE | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| CATHERINE BADALAMENTE | IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN | 3 | — |
| ERIC BARNES | TREASURER | 3 | — |
| J TOM SHAW | CHAIRMAN | 3 | — |
| JANIS WARE | FIRST VICE CHAIRMAN | 3 | — |
| NANCY CAWLEY LANE | CO-CEO | 18 | $280,777 |
| JANICE NORMAN | DIRECTOR OF ACCOUNTING AND | 20 | $90,708 |
| JOHN SMALL | CO-CEO | 31 | $224,041 |
| JULIA CAMPBELL | EMPLOYEE | 40 | $165,401 |
| JOHN CELESTAND | EMPLOYEE | — | $137,639 |
| PENNY RIORDAN | EMPLOYEE | 33 | $157,325 |
| FRANK MUNGEAM | CHIEF INNOVATION OFFICER | 7 | $196,240 |
| APRYL PILOLLI | EMPLOYEE | 17 | $132,182 |
| LINDSEY LEISHER ESTES | EMPLOYEE | 25 | $110,731 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
LMA announced newsrooms selected for the 2025 national cohort of the Lab for Journalism Funding
APPLY NOW: Grant Funding Now Available for Local Newsrooms \u2013 Arizona\Three state cohorts of the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding were announced with selected newsrooms
APPLY NOW: Grant Funding Now Available for Local Newsrooms \u2013 Arizona\LMA/LMF released a 2025 Impact Report documenting organizational activities and outcomes
LMA/LMF 2025 Impact Report - Local Media Association + Local Media FoundationData last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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