What is the purpose of NewsMatch?

Journalism has the power to amplify diverse perspectives, hold the powerful to account, and build social cohesion. Unfortunately, a quarter of newspapers in the U.S. have closed over since 2005, leaving thousands of communities without a lifeline to critical and relevant information about the issues that affect their lives.

The decline of commercial media is primarily due to a failing advertising-dependent business model. A problem less commonly cited and of equal importance is mainstream media's failure to serve and engage communities of color, immigrants, and others made vulnerable by social and economic inequities. Our vision for a democratic future requires the growth of relevant and reliable news sources that serve and engage a broad diversity of communities across the U.S.

To achieve this vision, we must strengthen the sustainability of news sources that listen to their communities, uncover inequities, and shed light on solutions. Over the last ten years, nonprofit news organizations have emerged to fill news and information gaps in communities across the country. Yet, challenges remain on how to grow philanthropic support at the scale required to stabilize this rapidly growing field.

Our long-term vision is to ensure relevant and reliable news for every community across the U.S. by strengthening the financial sustainability of nonprofit news outlets that serve them. NewsMatch has four intersecting strategic priorities to achieve this goal:

  1. Dramatically increase the number of people that support nonprofit journalism
  2. Grow local and regional investments from large donors and philanthropic institutions
  3. Develop and strengthen sustainable fundraising capabilities within newsrooms
  4. Increase awareness and public support for nonprofit journalism.

By adopting these strategies and iterating solutions to achieve them, we aim to transform how communities view and sustain journalism. If successful, NewsMatch will serve as an accelerator to establish nonprofit journalism as a legitimate and necessary cause for philanthropic support. By building and strengthening the pipeline of supporters, the program seeks to establish sustained and recurring investments by individuals, foundations, and businesses in nonprofit journalism for years to come.

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