Charlottesville Tomorrow brings more Press Forward funding for news to central Virginia

On Oct. 16, Charlottesville Tomorrow was named a Press Forward grant recipient in its first open call on “Closing Local Coverage Gaps.” This brings a multi-year grant commitment of $100,000 at $50,000 per year over two years to the communities we serve.

Press Forward is a national movement to strengthen democracy by revitalizing local news and information. A coalition of funders is investing more than $500 million to strengthen local newsrooms, close longstanding gaps in journalism coverage, advance public policy that expands access to local news, and to scale the infrastructure the sector needs to thrive.

We join an inaugural, historic cohort of 205 local newsrooms across the country that are filling critical information gaps and working in service of our communities. There is at least one grantee in every U.S. state, and five are located in Virginia. One of those five is Charlottesville Tomorrow’s partner in the Charlottesville Inclusive Media project, Vinegar Hill Magazine.

Motivated by the extraordinary quality and number of proposals, Press Forward is funding twice as many news organizations as it originally anticipated through its first open call. More than 900 proposals were received,

“These newsrooms are proof that we are seeing a moment of transformation, where new and longstanding are stepping up to create a new story for local news,” said Dale R. Anglin, Director of Press Forward. “Independent newsrooms need community support to survive. We hope that more people will subscribe and donate to them.”

Our peers include newer nonprofit newsrooms and enduring for-profit organizations that continue to adapt and innovate after a century in business. Some newsrooms are reporting on the vast American countryside, where they are often the only news source for hundreds of miles, while other outlets are covering culturally and linguistically diverse communities that many news sources have long overlooked.

Each newsroom produces the everyday stories people need to make decisions about their daily lives. 

The investment that we are receiving from Press Forward is more than just a grant. It’s a vote of confidence in the local news institution our community is building here in central Virginia.

Last year, Charlottesville Tomorrow was among the first eight  newsrooms in the country to receive a grant as part of Press Forward. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is investing $350,000 over three years in support of Charlottesville Tomorrow’s mission.

Press Forward has provided a searchable database listing all recipients. For more about Press Forward more, visit pressforward.news.

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