2022 #newsCOneeds
Grant Opportunity Information
Goals: To help Colorado news outlets increase public awareness and grassroots support from individuals for the vital public service that journalism provides to our communities, and to build philanthropic fundraising capacity and knowledge-sharing across Colorado’s public-service media ecosystem.
Eligibility: Nonprofit or locally-owned Colorado journalism outlets that are planning to execute a year-end philanthropic giving, membership, or subscription campaign are eligible to apply for a $5,000 matching grant from Colorado Media Project. Outlets must be actively publishing high-quality, non-advocacy, nonpartisan, public service journalism. Outlets must be members of the Colorado Press Association or partners in the Colorado News Collaborative to apply for a matching grant; if you are not currently a member, the deadline to apply to CPA or COLab is Aug. 20, 2022 in order to be eligible for a matching grant.
Challenge: Colorado Media Project will match up to $5,000 per newsroom for new individual memberships, donations, subscriptions or contributions made between 8 a.m. MT on Nov. 29, 2022 (a.k.a. #GivingNewsDay) and midnight MT on Dec. 31, 2022. To be eligible for a match, contributions must meet criteria set forth by the national NewsMatch campaign, i.e., contributions from individuals of $1,000 or less, for which the individual doesn’t receive any additional benefit other than the joy of supporting local news.
Support: Grant recipients commit to participate in 2022 #newsCOneeds campaign planning this fall, and will receive customizable campaign graphics, collateral, and message templates, technical support, and coaching through the Colorado News Collaborative (COLab). Newsrooms selected for the initiative will receive technical support, campaign graphics and collateral, and adaptable message templates through the Colorado News Collaborative, or COLab. Cohort workshops (held via Zoom) will feature campaign planning, execution, and evaluation best practices from fundraising and marketing experts and also include time for peer sharing/learning opportunities:
Early October: Refining your message: defining community value, making “the ask”
Mid-October: Campaign materials workshop: finalizing collateral, newsroom timelines
November: Office hours (as needed), coordinating overall campaign timelines
Mid-December: Mid-campaign check-in
Late January: Cohort debrief
Requirements: Participating outlets commit to execute the plan they develop during the cohort workshops, and to share outreach examples and lessons learned to fellow cohort members at the December and January meetings. Documentation of donations received toward the match, and an impact report summarizing fundraising results and lessons learned must be submitted to Colorado Media Project January 30, 2023, in order to receive payment in early 2023.
2022 Timeline:
Application opens: Friday, July 29, 2022
Applicant information session: Thurs., Aug. 11, 2022 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. (RSVP here)
Application deadline: Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022 at 5 p.m. MT
Applicant notification of acceptance/denial (via email): By Friday, Sept. 9 2022
Match eligibility period: Nov. 29, 2022 (8 a.m. MT) through Dec. 31, 2022 (midnight MT)
Matching documentation and final report due: January 31, 2023
Grant funds released: Q1 2023, once match documentation is reviewed and verified by Colorado Media Project
CMP’s 2022 #newsCOneeds matching challenge is made possible through unrestricted support to CMP from Bohemian Foundation, Democracy Fund, and Gates Family Foundation. CMP’s fiscal sponsor, Rose Community Foundation, provides oversight and administration for the funds. Over the last five years, the CMP #newsCOneeds matching challenge has raised nearly $1.9 million for local Coloradan news outlets.
