American Journalism Project Grant

The American Journalism Project is dedicated to enhancing local news organizations by investing in their business capacities and providing personalized coaching. They prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion, encouraging inquiries from organizations serving underrepresented communities. Their approach offers tailored support based on grantees' strategic challenges, fostering sustainable growth in revenue and programming. They seek grantees with strong public-service missions, independent 501(c)(3) status, and a commitment to transparency and accountability in their operations.

NOTE:  We periodically make calls for letters of inquiry (LOIs).  If you think we should know about the work of your existing, nonprofit news organization, please reach out via our general inquiry form.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion
We especially encourage inquiries from organizations that are led by and serve traditionally underrepresented communities. We know there are great entrepreneurs and organizations who won’t fit everything described in our grantmaking rubric or who provide important public service to their communities that we have not considered. We welcome a conversation about your organization and how it is serving local information needs.
What to expect
Working with a venture philanthropy can be a new experience for some. Our model is built to provide bespoke support based on grantees’ biggest strategic challenges alongside our investment in organizational revenue and operations capacity.
What we look for
In addition to the core criteria listed, which must apply to all our grantees, we consider strength in core organizational areas as outlined in this rubric. We do not expect organizations to be strong across all pillars but we do expect our grantees to have a compelling track record, and demonstrate the commitment and capabilities to strengthen in each area.

Eligibility

Our grantees’ must have business models aligned to their public-service mission and be independent 501(c)3 organizations, or intending to become one.We support organizations that are committed to serving the information needs of local audiences and communities. Our grantees must demonstrate they are actively building a culture in which the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion are reflected throughout their operations.We expect news organizations to grow, diversify, and localize their revenue and to meet INN standards of financial transparency.We are looking for organizations and leaders with bold and sustainable business plans. Grantees must want to and be ready to significantly grow and diversify their revenue and programming in service of their mission.