4 ways NewsMatch makes a difference beyond the money
Matching campaign reports record year, also helps build infrastructure
When former Knight journalism VP Jennifer Preston dreamed up the idea for NewsMatch nearly a decade ago, she couldn’t have imagined its impact today. The program reported record results in its 2024 campaign, helping 381 nonprofit newsrooms raise more than $55 million from individual donors (more astounding numbers in the graphic above). And in the nine annual NewsMatch campaigns combined, the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) and its newsrooms have collectively raised more than $400 million—a testament to its significant influence.
But NewsMatch is more than a fundraising campaign; it’s a catalyst for transformation in local news. Catalytic investments are central to Knight Foundation’s mission, and as former Knight journalism team member Karen Rundlet (now leading INN) once wrote in this newsletter: “[Catalytic investments] bring about systemic change not just for one local news publisher or one support organization, but for the entire industry.” NewsMatch exemplifies this approach, uniting national funders with local contributors and individual community members.
Here are four ways I see NewsMatch making a difference beyond the dollars raised:
Building fundraising infrastructure at newsrooms. Through coaching and training from News Revenue Hub, NewsMatch helps newsrooms learn basic fundraising skills they can use outside the NewsMatch cycle. That means they have built the muscle (and mentality) for asking their audience to give regularly.
Helping newer, smaller publications get a boost. For many small and emerging newsrooms—especially in rural and underserved areas—NewsMatch provides a crucial financial jumpstart. “It’s hard to overstate the impact of NewsMatch,” said Libbie Sparadeo, director of membership and engagement for VTDigger. “When VTDigger was smaller, it gave us our first matches and helped our membership program develop and expand.”
Identifying local funders who can help in the long run. While NewsMatch started with support from national funders such as Knight, it’s evolved to include local matches from local funders such as community foundations and businesses. Many first-time funders continue supporting these newsrooms beyond the program, and NewsMatch has also introduced many individual donors to the importance of sustaining local journalism. Those folks are now primed for more asks down the road.
Shifting giving culture to recognize local news as a public good. Traditionally, year-end giving campaigns focus on nonprofits like arts organizations, shelters, or health clinics. NewsMatch has helped local newsrooms frame themselves as essential to civic life, securing funding from community members who recognize their vital role. Asheville, N.C., resident Peter Gignac, for example, told INN that he and his wife donated to Asheville Watchdog because it tackles critical local issues. “I ask everyone interested in knowing what is really transpiring in their community to support journalists like we have here at Asheville Watchdog,” he said.
NewsMatch has been catalytic in so many ways, and it’s been great to watch it grow over the years. The program’s ambition is to double the $5 million in funder commitments in 2025 to $10 million. This increase could help provide so many more newsrooms with the resources they need to build sustainable futures.
Other news around the horn…
Investments
💰 AJP gets increased investment from Skyline Foundation. The American Journalism Project (AJP) has proven its track record of success in supporting 50 nonprofit newsrooms in 36 states. In response, Skyline Foundation has tripled its support for AJP, with a recent $4.5 million investment in the venture philanthropy. The funding will help AJP expand its impact, giving newsrooms more direct resources and strengthening its sustainability programs. “We are proud to deepen our commitment as the AJP scales its impact and continues building the foundation for a sustainable future for local news,” said Angela Filo, co-founder of Skyline Foundation. AJP’s CEO Sarabeth Berman noted that the investment reflects growing momentum for nonprofit news and the “critical role philanthropy can play in strengthening independent local journalism.”
💸 INN delivers more than $14 million to member newsrooms. INN has been a pioneering journalism support organization (JSO), providing direct funding to its newsroom members, largely through NewsMatch. Other JSOs have been doing the same, including LION Publishers, Tiny News Collective and the Local Media Association. INN distributed more than $14 million in funding to members last year through NewsMatch, the GNI Fundamentals Lab and via travel stipends, intern pay and collaborations. INN says the median amount of direct support for members last year was $35,000, with more than 10% receiving at least $50,000. “Combining capacity-building programs with a direct investment gives members the flexibility to fill revenue gaps or take their operations to the next level,” said Karen Rundlet, INN’s executive director and CEO.
Impact
⚖️ Mississippi Today reporting leads to release of four jailed women. Mississippi prosecutors have charged mothers based on a questionable legal theory that drug use during pregnancy constitutes a felony against their unborn children. Mississippi Today, in partnership with the Marshall Project, has been reporting on these cases, leading district attorney Steve Kilgore to stop prosecuting these cases. This led to one mother, Brandy Moore, having her charges dropped, while four other women were released from prison. Mississippi Today reporter Anna Wolfe noted on WBUR: “It wasn't until I drove around to three different courthouses in this central Mississippi district that I was able to reveal that there were women actually in prison.” Moore told WBUR that she suffered consequences from her actions including shame and guilt, but “I knew that I didn't deserve to spend 20 years in prison.” Mississippi Today’s reporting helped take a combined 49 years off the women’s sentences and saved taxpayers more than $1 million.
📬 How Shasta Scout reached rural audiences with direct mail. Because people in rural areas often have a distrust of news media, how do you reach them outside of divisive social media platforms? Shasta Scout, in Northern California, decided to try direct mail sent to nearly 7,000 households in its area. The campaign resulted in 125 website visits and 65 new email subscribers. Though the cost per lead was high compared to digital campaigns, the mailers did help the news outlet reach more of its rural audience, showing the potential for direct mail to help connect publishers with skeptical audiences and perhaps build branding. INN’s case study of the experiment noted that stronger calls to action in the mailer could increase conversion rates, and that digital marketing alone won’t reach rural communities. “Different outreach approaches become an important opportunity to rebuild trust,” the case study concludes.
✅ LION Publishers shares lessons from three years of Sustainability Audits. For the past three years, LION Publishers has run 450 Sustainability Audits for its members, with funding from Google News Initiative and Knight Foundation. These audits provide in-depth assessments and revenue strategies for local publishers. So what did LION learn? They shared some lessons from the audits as they consider what’s next for the program as it becomes an on-demand offering. Those lessons include the importance of publishers taking time to reflect on their business and clarifying priorities. Also, publishers should find the trails blazed by their peers, diversify revenues and “embrace confidence.” “Drawing from the experience and best practices of our community of organizations has helped us focus and prioritize achievable tasks that I’m confident will guide us toward sustainability,” said Rob Arias, founder/editor of The E’ville Eye in Emeryville, Calif.
Research
📚 Takeaways from the Local News Researchers Workshop. News research has the potential to delve deeply into key issues and guide practitioners but it also can be dense and hard for busy newsrooms to process. While white papers might induce yawns, the recent Local News Researchers Workshop at UNC-Chapel Hill, funded by Knight, had more eye-opening discussions on how to bring together academics and journalists for the greater good. Commoner’s Anika Anand shared her own takeaways from the workshop, noting that the Journalism Bridging Project was trying to reduce the “research-practice gap in journalism.” Another great example of collaboration was the Civic Information Index created by Brown University and the Listening Post Collective. Anand also appreciated efforts to broaden the definition of who contributes to local news, calling out the session on “non-traditional news sources,” as well as Documenters and Sarah Stonbely’s effort to map local news and information by including libraries, schools and nonprofits. Anand called out the Knight-funded Local News Impact Consortium, which is developing standards for measuring the health of local news ecosystems.
Call-outs
Community College Civic Info Challenge: The Journalism + Design program at The New School invites community colleges across the South to join a national movement that equips more people to play a role in keeping their communities informed, connected and vibrant. Five to eight winning applicants will win a trip to a summit in the South and the chance for further support in designing a program. J+D is also partnering with the New Mexico Local News Fund to offer Community News Transformation Grants of at least $30,000 to community colleges in New Mexico. Colleges in the South need to apply by May 2, and New Mexico colleges need to apply by April 18.
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Upcoming Events 📅
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In Memoriam
“Maybe public-service journalism—whatever you want to call it, I call it capital-J journalism…maybe this stuff is a public good just like national defense, clean air, clean water.”
—John Thornton, co-founder of American Journalism Project and founder of Texas Tribune, in a profile in Columbia Journalism Review in 2010. Thornton died on March 29 and was a pioneer of nonprofit journalism and the idea of journalism as a public good.
“John was the godfather of nonprofit local journalism. He had the radical clarity and moral urgency to see that saving local news wasn’t just necessary—it was possible.”
—Sarabeth Berman, CEO of the AJP, in a memorial post for Thornton. Photo of Thornton by Matt Shiffler for the AJP.
News @ Knight Credits
Written by Jim Brady, with Mark Glaser
Edited by Jim Brady and Kara Pickman