How are newsrooms selected to receive partner funds? And what can I do showcase my organization's work?
The first thing you can do is simply apply to participate in NewsMatch. As part of the application process, we ask INN members to provide additional background information like their issue areas, target audiences, leadership demographics, and stories of impact.
This provides NewsMatch with valuable information to target geographic or interest-based funders to invest in nonprofit news. Your application data is also used to help partner funders select which organizations to award matching dollars to.
Though your organization may meet the basic criteria for a partner fund, it does not automatically mean you will receive additional matching funds. Oftentimes, the number of organizations a partner fund will support is limited. In these cases, funders will review your reporting, mission statement, stories of impact, and information published on your website to make a final decision. Because of this, we encourage members to ensure their websites reflect the quality of their journalism and showcase the mission and impact of their work.
If you are interested in working with INN members to build your own collaborative partner fund, we are happy to help. Please contact our team at hello@newsmatch.org to start a conversation on how we can be most helpful in your fundraising efforts.