{"id":16762,"date":"2025-10-14T08:13:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T15:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/\/?page_id=16762"},"modified":"2025-10-14T18:41:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T01:41:32","slug":"fundraising-for-journalism","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/fundraising-for-journalism","title":{"rendered":"Journalism Grants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-container gb-block-container\"><div class=\"gb-container-inside\"><div class=\"gb-container-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover is-light\" style=\"min-height:151px;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-16807\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/funding-guide-banner-blue-dots-1.png\" data-object-fit=\"cover\"\/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-228efdc7ee17b2f8955f39075eceb8cd\" style=\"color:#484848;font-size:42px\">Journalism Grants<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"intro-box has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebeeeb\">Learn about grants for journalism and media by exploring the curated list of top journalism and media funders below. Members can also research funding opportunities by using the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grantfinder-search\"><strong>search tool <\/strong><\/a>for Grant Finder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-columns gb-layout-columns-1 one-column gb-background-auto gb-background-no-repeat\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/bg-radiant-dots-shortest.png);background-position:50% 0%\"><div class=\"gb-layout-column-wrap gb-block-layout-column-gap-0 gb-is-responsive-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\" style=\"padding-top:20px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-columns gb-layout-columns-2 gb-2-col-wideright\" style=\"padding-top:60px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:6px;background-position:80% 0%\"><div class=\"gb-layout-column-wrap gb-block-layout-column-gap-2 gb-is-responsive-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column ip-gf-key-funders-box gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Key Funders<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list key-funders-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-d\/dart-center-for-journalism-and-trauma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-d\/democracy-fund\">Democracy Fund <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-f\/ford-foundation\">Ford Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-f\/free-press-unlimited-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Free Press Unlimited<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-j\/robert-wood-johnson-foundation\">Robert Wood Johnson Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/k-grants\/knight-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Knight Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/l-grants\/reva-and-david-logan-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Reva and David Logan Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/m-grants\/macarthur-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MacArthur Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/n-grants\/craig-newmark-philanthropies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Craig Newmark Philanthropies<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-o\/open-society-foundations\">Open Society Foundations<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/p-grants\/rory-peck-trust\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rory Peck Trust<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/p-grants\/pulitzer-center-on-crisis-reporting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-t\/tegna-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tegna Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Journalism Grantmaking Trends<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A free and fair press is fundamental to democracy. Yet, UNESCO <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unesco.org\/reports\/world-media-trends\/2021\/en\/global-trends\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reports<\/a> a measurable decline in press freedom around the world since 2012. Globally, dozens of journalists are killed and hundreds detained every year, Reporters without Borders (RSF) <a href=\"https:\/\/rsf.org\/en\/barometer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tracks<\/a>. In 2025, the global state of press freedom was classified as a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/rsf.org\/en\/rsf-world-press-freedom-index-2025-economic-fragility-leading-threat-press-freedom?year=2025&amp;data_type=general\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">difficult situation<\/a>\u201d for the first time in the history of RSF\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/rsf.org\/en\/index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">World Press Freedom Index<\/a>. The situation in the United States, where freedom of the press is protected by the <a href=\"https:\/\/constitution.congress.gov\/constitution\/amendment-1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">First Amendment of the Constitution<\/a>, is deteriorating fast.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As of 2025, the United States ranks 57th out of 180 countries in the <a href=\"https:\/\/rsf.org\/en\/index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">World Press Freedom Index<\/a> \u2013 a drop in ranking from 55th the year before. \u201cAfter a century of gradual expansion of press rights in the United States, the country is experiencing its first significant and prolonged decline in press freedom in modern history, and Donald Trump\u2019s return to the presidency is greatly exacerbating the situation,\u201d RSF <a href=\"https:\/\/rsf.org\/en\/country\/united-states\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">writes<\/a>. Media ownership is increasingly concentrated among <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/as-billionaire-owners-throw-their-weight-around-journalism-support-is-even-more-vital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">billionaires<\/a> who are influencing content; the president is making <a href=\"https:\/\/rsf.org\/en\/trump-s-war-press-10-numbers-us-president-s-first-100-days\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">direct attacks on press freedom<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu\/projects\/state-of-local-news\/2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">local news<\/a> is in crisis; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/rapid-response-funders-pool-their-dollars-to-protect-public-media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">public media<\/a> has been defunded by the federal government; and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/2024-6-4-disinformation-poses-a-serious-threat-to-democracy-here-are-some-of-the-funders-pushing-back\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">disinformation<\/a> is rampant.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The U.S. has lost more than one-third of its print newspapers, and more than 45,000 news editing and reporting jobs, in the past two decades, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu\/projects\/state-of-local-news\/2024\/report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Medill Local News Initiative<\/a> at Northwestern University. More than 200 U.S. counties have become \u201cnews deserts\u201d without any local news source, and more than 1,500 have only one news source, the initiative <a href=\"https:\/\/localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu\/projects\/state-of-local-news\/2024\/report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reports<\/a>. The federal defunding of public media will exacerbate the situation, especially in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/viewers-like-you-whos-supporting-pbs-at-the-national-level\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rural communities<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<!-- Non-displaying inline paywall marker. Editors: please keep this code block. Position this block before the first full-width paragraph or just above the foundations list heading. -->\n<div id=\"ipInlineOffer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-container foundation-list paywall gb-block-container\"><div class=\"gb-container-inside\"><div class=\"gb-container-content\">\n<p>What caused this? The ad-driven business model that sustained American newspapers for decades shifted with the rise of digital media. Consolidation and cost cutting in a news business dominated by billionaire owners led to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/show\/stripped-for-parts-american-journalism-on-the-brink\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shuttering of local outlets<\/a> and ongoing <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/journalism-layoffs-business-messenger-83afe18984c2a1fc78e78184dddee17d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">layoffs<\/a>. Meanwhile, the rise of social media and political polarization have produced a mutually reinforcing cycle of misinformation, disinformation, and distrust in media. Add to all that the introduction of <a href=\"https:\/\/unesdoc.unesco.org\/ark:\/48223\/pf0000391214\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">generative AI<\/a>, and it becomes clear why a 2024 poll by Free Press <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freepress.net\/2024poll\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">found<\/a> that \u201c79% of Americans are concerned that the information they see online is fake, false or a deliberate attempt to confuse people.\u201d Then, beginning in 2025, the second Trump administration accelerated and expanded the problems by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/whos-funding-public-news-media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">defunding public media<\/a>; spreading <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/24\/business\/trump-misinformation-false-claims.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">misinformation<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/donald-trump-sean-hannity-disinformation-iran-bombing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">disinformation<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Politics\/trump-shutdown-troll-democrats-deepfake-memes-threatening-targeted\/story?id=126185886\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">AI slop<\/a>; and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/politics\/trumps-moves-against-media-outlets-mirror-authoritarian-approaches-to-silencing-dissent\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">directly attacking press freedom<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In response to all this, philanthropy for journalism has increased significantly over the past two decades. From 2018 to 2022, <a href=\"https:\/\/mediaimpactfunders.org\/heres-how-25-of-the-top-journalism-funders-funding-journalism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">25 of the top U.S.-based media funders<\/a> gave more than $1B in journalism grants; the percentage of funders making <a href=\"https:\/\/mediaimpactfunders.org\/reports\/journalism-and-philanthropy-growth-diversity-and-potential-conflicts-of-interest\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">journalism grants larger than $1M <\/a>increased every year in that span, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/mediaimpactfunders.org\/heres-how-25-of-the-top-journalism-funders-funding-journalism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Media Impact Funders<\/a>. In the aftermath of federal funding cuts in 2025, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/rapid-response-funders-pool-their-dollars-to-protect-public-media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">private foundations<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/how-community-foundations-can-help-local-public-media-withstand-federal-funding-cuts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">community foundations<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/07\/24\/business\/media\/npr-pbs-funding-cuts-donations.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">individual donors<\/a> have all stepped up to support public media. And some of the larger journalism nonprofits, such as the local-news-focused <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/2024-2-13-were-making-rapid-progress-a-journalism-funding-leader-reflects-on-the-state-of-local-news\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">American Journalism Project<\/a>, are active regrantors.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What was once a focus area of relatively few grantmakers has become a philanthropic priority not just for longtime journalism funders, but also for funders concerned with democracy and the importance of disseminating reliable information about everything from health and education to climate change.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Where are journalism and media grants going?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Journalism grants invest in nonprofit news outlets, public media outlets, and programs that educate and train journalists. Funding priorities include strengthening local news and investigative reporting, combating disinformation, and protecting democracy. Journalism and media grants are also made to help close the digital divide, to raise awareness on specific issues, and to protect journalists\u2019 safety. Advocacy to regulate digital media and generative AI is another focus of grants for journalism and media. A <a href=\"https:\/\/mediaimpactfunders.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2024_GlobalJournalismFunding_digital_final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">growing<\/a> area of journalism and media funding is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/funders-have-supported-narrative-change-when-it-mattered-most-we-must-do-it-again\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">narrative change<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, philanthropy even supports for-profit media outlets as they experiment with new business models and public-private partnerships in order to help them survive. As IP\u2019s State of American Philanthropy brief on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/state-of-american-philanthropy-pdfs\/giving-for-journalism-and-public-media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Giving for Journalism and Public Media<\/a> investigates, one emerging trend for journalism funders addresses the conversion of for-profit news outlets into nonprofits.A handful of foundations broadly support nonprofit journalism, while others focus on specific areas, such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-k\/kaiser-family-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kaiser Family Foundation\u2019s<\/a> support for health news and information. <a href=\"https:\/\/d3b9fkm0acb8s3.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/RFA-Community-News-Funds-2.21.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Community <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/how-community-foundations-can-help-local-public-media-withstand-federal-funding-cuts\">foundations<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/d3b9fkm0acb8s3.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/RFA-Community-News-Funds-2.21.pdf\"> <\/a>are an increasingly important source of support for local news outlets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Gaps in journalism funding<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Even with a substantial increase in philanthropy for journalism in recent years, need continues to outweigh philanthropic support. Protecting fair, investigative reporting <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/journalism-layoffs-business-messenger-83afe18984c2a1fc78e78184dddee17d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">requires<\/a> both public and private funding, as well as new business models, which are all essential to an informed population and functioning democratic society.Beyond the overall funding gap, there are gaps in funding for particular areas of journalism and media. <a href=\"https:\/\/borealisphilanthropy.org\/racial-equity-in-journalism-fund\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">People of color\u2013led news organizations<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/will-philanthropy-ever-pay-attention-to-appalachia-new-research-highlights-disparities\">rural news<\/a>, and journalism organizations based <a href=\"https:\/\/mediaimpactfunders.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2024_GlobalJournalismFunding_digital_final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">outside North America<\/a><strong> <\/strong>are especially underfunded by philanthropy. Further gaps remain in philanthropic funding for issue-based journalism, such as coverage of climate change, which undermines the dissemination of knowledge that helps people make informed decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Additional resources for journalism philanthropy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Institute for Nonprofit News\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/inn.org\/resources\/fundraising-hub\/\">Network Philanthropy Center<\/a> and the Lenfest Institute\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lenfestinstitute.org\/our-work\/communities-of-practice\/news-philanthropy-network\/\">News Philanthropy Network<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group modified-date-row is-content-justification-left is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f56a869c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p><em>Published on <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"font-style:italic;font-weight:400;\" class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2025-10-14T08:13:00-07:00\">October 14, 2025<\/time><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px;width:0px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn about grants for journalism and media by exploring the curated list of top journalism and media funders below. Members can also research funding opportunities by using the search tool for Grant Finder.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":470,"featured_media":0,"parent":13716,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":true,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-16762","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","5":"entry"},"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/470"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16762"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16762\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":226844,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16762\/revisions\/226844"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}