Matching grants will help increase individual support for local Colorado journalism
Colorado’s local newsrooms took center stage in 2020, demonstrating their civic value as an essential public service — providing potentially life-saving information on the COVID public health crisis, fact-checking online misinformation, holding a mirror to our communities, and holding the powerful to account.
That’s why we’re so excited to announce today that 25 locally-owned and nonprofit news organizations have been selected for the Colorado Media Project’s 2020 #newsCOneeds Matching Grant Challenge —and with your support, we’re poised to raise a quarter-million dollars for trustworthy local news in a single month.
The annual year-end fundraiser is part of the #newsCOneeds public awareness campaign -- which this year is growing into an audience-building opportunity for all qualified Colorado newsrooms statewide to spotlight the positive impacts they are making in their communities, and to build trust in and support for local public-service journalism.
The window for the matching challenge will officially launch on Giving Newsday (a.k.a. Giving Tuesday, December 1) and the 25 Colorado newsrooms selected to receive a matching grant will have until Dec. 31 to raise at least $5,000 from individual supporters (in gifts of $1,000 or less) in order to meet the CMP match.
The 25 grantees come from all regions of the state, represent different business models, and cover a variety of communities and subject matter:
Ark Valley Voice (Online local news serving Salida, Buena Vista and surrounding areas)
Aspen Journalism (Nonprofit, online local news with statewide coverage on water and the environment)
Aspen Public Radio (Local NPR affiliate serving Roaring Fork, Crystal, Colorado, Frying Pan and Eagle River valleys)
Aurora Sentinel (Weekly newspaper serving residents of Aurora and surrounding areas)
Boulder Beat News (Online local news covering Boulder City Council and politics)
Chalkbeat Colorado (Nonprofit news site covering education in Denver and statewide)
Colorado Community Media (Weekly online and publications serving 300,000 community members in 18 Metro-Denver area neighborhoods)
Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition (Nonpartisan alliance dedicated to ensuring the transparency of state and local governments in Colorado)
The Colorado Sun (Online news outlet provide long-form, in-depth coverage of news from across Colorado)
The Denver North Star (Monthly community newspaper with online presence serving Northwest Denver)
The Durango Herald (Family-owned newspaper serving southwest Colorado and the Four Corners region since 1881)
Fresh Water News (Nonpartisan news service demystifying Colorado water issues, affiliated with Water Education Colorado)
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Family-owned daily newspaper serving western Colorado since 1893)
KETO-FM - Multicultural Community Radio (First and only immigrant and refugee community radio station in Colorado, located in Aurora)
KBUT Community Radio (Community radio and NPR-member station serving the Gunnison Valley)
KDNK Community Radio (Community radio serving Carbondale and the Roaring Fork Valley)
KGNU Independent Community Radio (Community station serving Boulder County and Denver)
KSJD Community Radio (Community and NPR-affiliated station providing local news in southwest Colorado and the Four Corners region)
KSUT Public Radio (Public radio station serving the Four Corners and Ute tribal communities)
The Mountain Ear (Community newspaper serving Nederland and Gilpin County)
Ouray County Plaindealer (Weekly newspaper serving communities in the central mountains)
The Pagosa Springs SUN (Locally-owned newspaper serving the San Luis Valley since 1909)
Public News Service Colorado (Providing free, multi-platform content to Colorado news outlets to support the mission of journalism in the public interest)
The Sopris Sun (Carbondale's community-supported, nonprofit weekly newspaper)
Westword (Free weekly print/online magazine providing original news and culture reporting for Denver Metro region)
The 2020 #newsCOneeds matching fund of $125,000 is made possible through operating grants to CMP from Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation, Bohemian Foundation, Democracy Fund and Gates Family Foundation. CMP’s fiscal sponsor, Rose Community Foundation, is providing oversight and administration for the funds.
CMP grantees are working with Colorado News Collaborative (COLab) and News Revenue Hub to co-create #newsCOneeds messages and graphics in coordination with the national NewsMatch campaign. The grantees also receive training and one-on-one coaching on best practices for executing successful year-end subscription, donation, and membership campaigns.
The #newsCOneeds matching grant opportunity was open to nonprofit or locally-owned Colorado journalism outlets that are planning to execute a philanthropic giving, membership, or subscription campaign during the 2020 year-end giving season. Outlets must be actively publishing high-quality, fact-based, public service journalism primarily for local Colorado audiences.
Initially, CMP had allocated $100,000 to the program. But in light of the essential services that newsrooms have provided during the COVID-19 crisis and 2020 election season, CMP leaders and funding partners increased the fund allocation to accommodate all 25 grantees who qualified for full participation in the matching challenge.
“Both the grant opportunity and the public awareness campaign will give these newsrooms year-round fundraising tools and more sustainability to serve as essential public service for their communities,” said Melissa Milios Davis, Colorado Media Project Acting Director. “The tagline for the campaign is ‘This is news Colorado needs’, because these outlets are providing vital news and information on pressing local issues of public health and economic stability, education, local politics and other critical issues of our time.”
