Funder Resources

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Press Forward | Press Forward Funding Models Overview

This is a conceptual overview of the three ways funders can participate in the national movement: the Pooled Fund (a seamless national giving channel), Aligned Grantmaking (coordinating individual grants), and Press Forward Locals (building place-based funds).

Press Forward | Press Forward Locals

Research & Insights

A resource hub describing the network of local chapters (like CMP). It's valuable for funders looking to connect with peers in their region, understand place-based needs, and join or form a local pooled fund or news collaboration.

Press Forward | Press Forward: A Guide for Local Funders

Research & Insights

This is the essential "how-to" manual for starting a local chapter. It offers an introduction to the issues, case studies, and early insights for place-based funders to build a local coalition and invest in their news ecosystem.

Press Forward | Words That Work: A Toolkit for Funders

Research & Insights

A critical messaging toolkit. It provides funders with research-backed language and tested approaches to engage donors, "moving them from appreciation to action" by focusing on community benefits rather than the "journalism crisis"

Press Forward Colorado (PFCO)

Funder Tables & Intermediaries Colorado-Based Funders

PFCO is the state-level chapter of the national Press Forward initiative. It coordinates local investment and strategy to ensure Colorado's news outlets are sustainable and community-focused.

Public Pathways for Supporting Coloradans’ Civic News and Information Needs in the 21st Century

CMP Research & Insights

New ideas, new approaches, and new products and services are desperately needed to ensure the reimagining and very survival of high-quality journalism in Colorado, especially in underserved communities. Indeed, Colorado already has promising entrepreneurial efforts by existing news organizations and digital native upstarts that are injecting a spirit of innovation that can serve as an example to the nation. We hope that the ideas contained in this paper inspire more Coloradans to envision what’s possible for local news and civic engagement in the 21st century.

Rebuild Local News

Policy, Legal, and First Amendment Resources

A nonpartisan coalition that advances public policies to strengthen local news ecosystems. They focus on solutions like tax credits for news consumers and employers, and support for nonprofit news.

Reimagining Colorado’s Public Square

CMP Research & Insights

Why should concerned citizens and residents, including state and local officials, care about what’s happening in Colorado’s local journalism industry? This September 2023 report updates key data on news deserts, newspaper ownership from CMP’s 2019 white paper, “Local News is a Public Good,” and shares four actions that foundation leaders, elected officials, and the public should can take to build a healthier local news and information ecosystem in Colorado.

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP)

Policy, Legal, and First Amendment Resources

A leading nonprofit association that provides pro bono legal representation and other resources to protect the First Amendment and newsgathering rights of journalists.

Second Rough Draft (by Richard Tofel)

Written by the former president of ProPublica, this newsletter offers insightful analysis on the business of news, media strategy, and sustainability, with a particular focus on nonprofit journalism.

The Cultivo Media Prototypes

Research & Insights

The prototyping process is all about the end user. Cultivo conducted empathy interviews with Coloradans from across the state, to hear first-hand about their personal experiences and challenges with Colorado local news today. Then they rapidly developed and user tested four digital prototypes to address common pain points with novel solutions. Read the final reports from GeoStory, StoryHound, Inspectre News, and The Daily Snack.

The Future of Printing in Colorado

CMP Research & Insights

What happens if — and when — Colorado’s few remaining commercial printing presses stop? Set against the backdrop of this summer’s sudden closure of a vital Front Range business resource impacting more than 80 community news publications, this new September 2023 white paper presents a clear-eyed view of challenges and a range of potential solutions facing the industry.