Local Media Foundation
Local Media Foundation is a public charity based in Lake City, Michigan. Its mission is to help ensure a healthy future for local journalism by reinventing business models for news, and it supports journalism projects and programs focused on sustainability, collaboration, and public-service reporting.
Local Media Foundation at a glance
In short: Local Media Foundation gave $4.2M across 74 grants in 2025 (avg $57K), top state New York. 53% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $4,199,112
- +43.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 74
- +68.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $56,745
- -14.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $13,750
- Total assets
- $6,063,503
- -4.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 53% first-time grantees (29 of 55, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (23% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated November 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Local Media Foundation
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 450, Lake City, MI 49651
Phone: (231) 839-8651
Website: https://localmedia.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Local Media Foundation
Who Local Media Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Gannett Holdings LLC ($744K). Together the top 10 received $2.8M.
Organizations only. It also paid 20 grants to individuals ($468,125), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
212 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 144 grants of 212 (68%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s website describes the Local News Fund as supporting projects in communities across the country. Its 2024 grants went to recipients in multiple states; the largest shares of grant dollars went to New York (26%), Texas (11%), Washington, D.C. (9%), California (9%), and Michigan (8%).
The Oklahoma Media Center 2021 Innovation Fund was limited to Oklahoma Media Center members.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 74 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Local Media Foundation open to new grantees?
53%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 29 of 55 grantees (53%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $45K; repeat grants $111K. How we count
Medians: $14K first-time, $37K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2021–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $641K (2021) to $4.2M (2025). In 2025 it made 74 grants totaling $4.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Gannett Holdings LLC Milwaukee, WI | Program Stipends | $743,897 |
| Word in Black PBC Washington DC, DC | Program Stipends | $619,898 |
| New York Times Company New York, NY | Program Stipends | $445,480 |
| The Columbian Publishing Company Vancouver, WA | Program Stipends | $331,809 |
| Amsterdam News Educational Foundation New York, NY | Program Stipends | $264,000 |
| Amnews Corpdba New York Amsterdam News New York, NY | Program Stipends | $112,219 |
| 11 grants to individuals Recipients not named | — | $403,904 |
| Lambda Publications Incdba Windy City Chicago, IL | Program Stipends | $81,575 |
| Afro American Co Baltimore City Baltimore, MD | Program Stipends | $77,053 |
| Dream Local Digital LLC Rockland, ME | Program Stipends | $63,534 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $6,063,503 | $6,745,748 | $7,846,650 | $4,199,112 | 74 | $204,879 |
| 2024 | $6,345,849 | $9,394,019 | $6,606,965 | $2,921,535 | 44 | $165,923 |
| 2023 | $4,341,510 | $6,588,923 | $5,991,755 | $2,408,892 | 38 | $67,553 |
| 2022 | $4,498,915 | $5,768,285 | $4,554,696 | $1,445,489 | 27 | $17,799 |
| 2021 | $3,508,085 | $2,006,681 | $2,375,692 | $640,760 | 29 | $1,791 |
| 2020 | $2,151,695 | $5,522,543 | $4,944,037 | — | — | $7,674 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation states that local journalism is essential to a strong democracy. Its four strategic pillars are business transformation, journalism funded by philanthropy, industry collaboration, and sustainability for publishers of color.
Its filing describes stipends for local journalism projects serving the public good, including reporting on education and health. The Local News Fund supports projects on issues such as education, poverty, and health. The foundation says it monitors projects and requires participants to report on resulting news coverage or community convenings and their impact; participants may be required to return stipend funds if they do not meet program requirements.
The 2024 grants included support for news publishers and journalism-related organizations. For example, the an individual recipient Publishers Association describes itself as a trade association providing information and technical assistance to the newspaper industry and related organizations. Journalism Refugees Education Fund says it provides educational opportunities for people who have worked with local or international news media and their families. The CUNY Graduate School of Journalism Foundation says it supports the school’s educational and research activities.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 44 grants totaling $2,921,535. Grants ranged from $5,824 to $394,720, with a median of $38,363. The largest listed award was $394,720 to The Columbian Publishing Company for journalism-project stipends and digital journalism technology upgrades. Other large awards included $155,631 to an individual recipient, $150,480 to the an individual recipient Publishers Association for program stipends, and $143,774 to The an individual recipient Its 2025 filing, the latest on this page, reports 74 grants totaling $4.2 million.
The foundation’s website describes the Local News Fund as a fiscal-sponsorship arrangement: it contracts with media organizations to define and carry out journalism and community projects, then accepts charitable donations for those projects. It retains an administrative fee from contributions to cover administration and compliance. The website invites organizations to submit an inquiry to learn about participating.
The Oklahoma Media Center 2021 Innovation Fund was a past cycle, with a March 31, 2021 deadline. It offered stipends to Oklahoma Media Center members for innovation projects, including testing business models and reaching diverse audiences. Eligible project costs included software licenses, third-party vendors, and related marketing; operational expenses, office supplies, staffing, and equipment purchases were excluded.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on the 2024 filing were Larry Lee, chair; Tanisha Leonard, first vice chair; J. Tom Shaw, treasurer; Erica Smith, immediate past chair; and directors Tom Sly, Tim Franklin, Shana Black, Leo Cusimano, Jane Wooldridge, and Daniel Williams.
Local Media Foundation is led by John Small, Co-Ceo since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 22 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
John Small
Co-Ceo
Chief Operating Officer → Co-Ceo, 2024
On filings since 2020
18 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nancy Cawley Lane
CEO Emeritas
CEO → Co-Ceo, 2024
Co-Ceo → CEO Emeritas, 2025
On filings since 2020
14 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Julia Campbell
Co-Ceo
Employee → Chief Business Transformations Officer, 2024
Chief Business Transformations Officer → Co-Ceo, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tanisha Leonard
Chair
Secretary → First Vice Chair, 2024
First Vice Chair → Chair, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brock Berry
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Shana Black
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tom Sly
Director
Treasurer → Director, 2024
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Apryl Pilolli
Technology Director of Kni
Employee → Technology Director of Knight Lma Bloom Lab, 2024
Technology Director of Knight Lma Bloom Lab → Technology Director of Kni, 2025
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Janice Norman
Director of Accounting
Director of Accounting & Finance → Director of Accounting, 2023
On filings since 2022
24 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jane Wooldridge
Director
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
John Celestand
Program Director of Knight
Employee → Program Director of Knight Lma Bloom Lab, 2024
Program Director of Knight Lma Bloom Lab → Program Director of Knight, 2025
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Leo Cusimano
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Deirdre Conner
Director
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Toby Collodora
Director
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Frank Mungeam
Chief Innovation Officer
On filings since 2021
15 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Catherine Badalamente
First Vice Chair
Treasurer → Secretary, 2024
Secretary → First Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2022
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Larry Lee
Immediate Past Chair
First Vice Chair → Chair, 2024
Chair → Immediate Past Chair, 2025
On filings since 2022
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lindsey Leisher Estes
Employee
On filings since 2024
21 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tim Franklin
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth White Notarangelo
Employee
New on the 2025 filing
22 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Janis Ware
Treasurer
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Robert Walker-Smith
Employee
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (19)
- Former: Erica Smith (2021–2024) — Immediate Past Chair
- Former: J. Tom Shaw (2022–2024) — Treasurer
- Former: Penny Riordan (2022–2024) — Director of Business Strategy & Partnership
- Former: Daniel Williams (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Samantha Johnston (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Stephanie Slagle (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Andrew Ramsammy (2022–2023) — Employee
- Former: Gordon Borrell (2020–2022) — Immediate Past Chair
- Former: Lisa Bishop (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Elizabeth Dwyer (2022) — Employee
- Former: Maple Lloyd Walker (2022) — Director
- Former: Chris Weatherly (2020–2021) — First Vice Chair
- Former: Guy Tasaka (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Liz White (2020–2021) — Immediate Past Chair
- Former: Jay Small (2021) — Chief Operating Officer
- Former: Bob Brown (2020) — Treasurer
- Former: Chris Hendricks (2020) — Immediate Pastchairman
- Former: Jason Murray (2020) — Director
- Former: Mariah Craddick (2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Local Media Foundation
How much does Local Media Foundation give each year?
Local Media Foundation gave $4.2M across 74 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $2.9M across 44 grants.
What is Local Media Foundation's typical grant size?
Local Media Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $13,750, and its average grant was $56,745, across 74 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Local Media Foundation that year got $45K on average.
Where does Local Media Foundation give grants?
Local Media Foundation's top state is New York, with 23% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Wisconsin (18%) and District of Columbia (16%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (6 grants), Sacramento, CA (4 grants), Dallas, TX (3 grants) and Chicago, IL (2 grants).
Does Local Media Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 74 grants with a stated purpose on Local Media Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Program Stipends" (74 grants).
Who are Local Media Foundation's largest grantees?
Local Media Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Gannett Holdings LLC ($743,897), Word in Black PBC ($619,898) and New York Times Company ($445,480), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. It also paid 20 grants to individuals ($468,125), which are not listed by name. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Local Media Foundation?
Local Media Foundation reported $6.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $6.7M.
What does Local Media Foundation fund?
The foundation states that local journalism is essential to a strong democracy. Its four strategic pillars are business transformation, journalism funded by philanthropy, industry collaboration, and sustainability for publishers of color. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Local Media Foundation?
Local Media Foundation has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check localmedia.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Local Media Foundation's EIN?
Local Media Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-4427750. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated November 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS September 8, 2026)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 14, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Local Media Foundation funds
Human Services Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Local Media Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Local Media Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 9, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/local-media-foundation-morg_a9477c1597fc494581e905ac94336585
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_364427750_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Local Media Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/local-media-foundation-morg_a9477c1597fc494581e905ac94336585},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-09. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Local Media Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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