Press Forward Announces Network of Local Chapters, Starting with Alaska

November 3, 2023 – A growing coalition of funders today announced the next phase of their plan to strengthen local news at an unprecedented level: Press Forward Locals. A network of local chapters across the country—starting in Alaska; Chicago; Minnesota; Philadelphia; Springfield, Illinois; and Wichita—are springing up as funders are coordinating or collaborating across states and regions to bring new donors and foundations together to expand resources for local news.

Press Forward Alaska will be led by the Atwood Foundation in cooperation with the Alaska Center for Excellence in Journalism, a project fund of the Alaska Community Foundation.

Trust begins close to home

As local newsrooms have disappeared across America, communities have witnessed fading civic engagement, eroding social bonds, surging misinformation, and dwindling governmental accountability. Over the last decade, news organization founders and funders have stepped up to build and invest in emerging ecosystems across the country.

Press Forward Local chapters are an opportunity for funders to create place-based initiatives for local news, driven by the specific needs of their communities.

“Of Alaska’s 351 towns and villages, over 300 are isolated: not connected to any road system,” said Ira Perman, executive director of the Atwood Foundation. “Reporting the news, particularly local news, is an immense and ongoing challenge.”

In September, a coalition of funders announced Press Forward, a national initiative to strengthen communities and democracy by supporting local news and information with an infusion of more than a half-billion dollars over the next five years. Press Forward partners committed to re-center local news as a force for community cohesion; support new models and solutions that are ready to scale; and close longstanding inequities in journalism coverage and practice. 

While each community is different, Press Forward has identified three types of local ecosystems. This could mean building on existing proven models where local funds have been started or supporting the start-up of new funds.

“The Alaska Center for Excellence in Journalism was founded to bring high-quality, in-depth reporting to Alaskans in all communities,” said ACEJ’s board chair Lori Townsend. “We’re learning what newsrooms need, providing local journalists with training and growth opportunities, and funding reporting projects that local outlets couldn’t afford to produce without help. This partnership will help increase our capacity to help journalists report time-intensive, important stories for their communities.”

All Press Forward Local Funders have committed to:

• Support local journalism beyond existing funding

• Bring new donors to the local effort

• Establish or support pooled funds or funding collaborations that build common purpose and strengthen the local news ecosystem

• Convene local stakeholders and advance mutual understanding and analysis of the local information ecosystem

• Track and report funding and metrics to Press Forward

• Share models, tools, and lessons learned with other Press Forward Locals

Read the full announcement of Press Forward Locals chapters here.

Mission

We provide support for in-depth, high-impact journalism in Alaska. We encourage ethical coverage of complex, underreported issues, journalism that inspires action, improves lives and protects democratic values. We support professional training and provide grants to individual projects and collaborative efforts between all forms of media in Alaska.

Goals

We aim to inspire and support quality journalism across all media platforms in Alaska to engage, inform and empower Alaska citizens.

Grants

grants through acej

The Alaska Center for Excellence in Journalism is opening two grant application opportunities August 1, 2023, closing September 15, 2023.

The Alaska Impact Reporting Initiative is looking for stories that increase public understanding of complex, underreported issues in Alaska. The maximum grant amount is $25,000, but the grant selection committee may choose to award more than one grant.

The Alaska Arts Reporting Initiative aims to expand arts and culture coverage in Alaska. The grant pool amount for this arts reporting funding is $20,000. The maximum single grant amount is $10,000. We expect most awards to be around $5,000, subject to the discretion of the grant selection committee.

These Fall 2023 grant opportunities are made possible with the support of the Atwood Foundation.

For all proposed projects, we encourage collaboration among local news organizations. A majority of the project team must be Alaska-based.

Grants cover out-of-pocket expenses such as travel, document collection, equipment rental and specific services such data analysis and editing. Wages of up to 50% are an acceptable expense. It is ACEJ policy to pay the first half of approved grants to successful applicants, with the second half of the grant paid on publication or broadcast of a finished project in accordance with the original purpose. Second-half grants are not guaranteed if projects are not completed by the agreed-upon deadline.

Letter of Commitment: Before you apply, you need to obtain a “Letter of Commitment” from an editor or manager who can pledge in writing that the news outlet will publish or air the project you propose - as long as it meets the publication’s expectations and standards. ACEJ requires this commitment before a grant application can be considered. The letter must be on letterhead that includes contact information for the news outlet and the individual signing it.

Budget Guidelines: Your estimated budget must identify all other sources of funding and itemize expenses such as travel, document fees, equipment rentals and services. Be specific. Soliciting other sources of funding is encouraged.

Ethics: Grantees are required to abide by the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics and the National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics.

Selection: The ACEJ grant application review committee will review and vote on all eligible proposals. Applicants will be notified by email of the status of the application four weeks after the application deadline has passed.

To apply: Scroll down and click on apply. You will be directed to the Alaska Community Foundation portal where you need to create an account. Important: You do not need to give your social security number. Simply type NA in the prompt box. You only need to fill in fields marked with an asterisk. You may save your work and come back to the application, but once you hit APPLY on the final page you will not be able to make changes.

Disclaimer of Liability: ACEJ’s mission is to support the work of Alaska journalists. ACEJ assumes no liability for the legal and/or safety risks undertaken by journalists in the course of their reporting.

Privacy: We take the obligation to guard your story ideas seriously. We will not circulate them beyond our three-member review committee and administrator. We also realize the contents of your proposal may contain sensitive information. If you are concerned about submitting details by email, please contact us at akjournalismcenter@gmail.com.

Conflicts of Interest: ACEJ Board members and grant review committee members may not submit grant applications. Members of the grant application review committee must disclose to the other committee members any conflicts of interest with grant applicants or grant applications.