Immediate Needs Fund

Immediate Needs Fund

Overview: A competitive grant program providing rapid, targeted support to TNC member newsrooms navigating urgent operational and community challenges.

Award Amount: $5,000 per grant

Recurrence: Annual (multiple rounds in 2025-2026)

Funding Source: Supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation ($750,000 over three years for TNC regranting programs)

Geographic Scope: United States; TNC members only

Eligible Uses:

Covering urgent, emergent or unexpected financial needs

Lost revenues due to economic or political environment

Emerging community information needs

Unexpected costs

Essential back-office support

Hiring contract grant writers

Filling salary gaps

Building basic systems and infrastructure

Launching websites

Temporary administrative help

Multilingual community workshops and engagement

Eligibility:

Must be a Tiny News Collective member

Early-stage, small newsrooms (often one to two person operations)

Organizations led by BIPOC or immigrant founders welcome

Organizations serving underserved communities

Impact (2025 Results):

Nearly 80% of recipients reported that a negative outcome would have occurred without the funding

88% reported that the funding stabilized or resolved their immediate crisis

78% agreed the timeline between application and disbursement was appropriate to the urgency of their need

Helped prevent founders from going into personal debt

Important Clarification: This is a competitive, cycle-based program, not an emergency fund. It differs from:

Emergency grants (revolving, non-competitive)

Start-up or seed funding grants for typical business expenses

Recent Grantees (Round 2, 2026): 20 newsrooms including Autonomy News, Bottom Up Media, Chisholm Free Press, Crosswinds News, Esta es la Cosa, Kaheāwai Media, Miami Affordable Magazine, News Relay Network, Newsberg, Planeta Venus, Prior Lake News Compass, Queer and Trans Wealth, TMBP Media, The Carrborean, The Edge, The Parlor Magazine, The Platia, The SHOUT, The Southlander, Winston Salem Sentinel

Contact: team@tinynewsco.org