By the end of this year, 33 Colorado newsrooms aim to collectively raise at least a quarter-million dollars to strengthen and sustain their coverage of local governments, businesses, schools and communities — and they need your help.

Colorado Media Project (CMP) and the Colorado News Collaborative (COLab) are pleased to announce the cohort of local newsrooms participating in the 2022 #newsCOneeds year-end matching challenge. Between Nov. 29 (“Giving NewsDay”) and Dec. 31, 2022, each newsroom below can earn up to $5,000 from CMP, in a dollar-for-dollar match aimed at inspiring individual giving to support long-term sustainability of their public-service journalism — which informs and engages communities and strengthens civic engagement statewide.

2022 is the fifth consecutive year that CMP is offering the matching grant challenge, which is modeled after the national NewsMatch campaign that has helped nonprofit newsrooms across the country raise over $223 million since 2016. This year’s #newsCOneeds challenge follows the successful 2021 state-level campaign, in which 26 CMP grantees collectively raised more than $700,000 in the month of December.

Colorado’s #newsCOneeds matching challenge is unique in the nation, in that any locally owned, locally operated Colorado news organization that is regularly publishing nonpartisan local news may apply — regardless of business model or distribution method. While newsrooms are encouraged to direct their readers or listeners to their own contribution pages, a campaign landing page (thisisnewsconeeds.com) provides a unifying message and a single-point for campaign contributions, which are split equally among the participating newsrooms.

Want to shout out your favorite story or newsroom? Newsrooms, advocates and members of the public are encouraged to use the hashtag (#newsCOneeds) to spotlight some of the amazing journalism produced by local newsrooms in 2022, and to encourage others to give generously.

In addition to the grants, CMP and COLab will providing coaching, collateral and technical support to the following 33 members of the 2022 cohort:

Afrik Digest Media is a community news media outlet in Aurora, Colorado, offering new Americans with Black heritage a homestead away from home, to listen and tell their immigrant stories, and integrate them into the larger Colorado community. Afrik Digest provides its audiences with a platform to listen to their needs, gather and feed them with verifiable information, and amplify their voices.

Aspen Journalism is a nonprofit, online local news organization with statewide coverage on water and the environment. Aspen Journalism produces investigative and in-depth journalism for those with a stake in Aspen, the Roaring Fork River watershed, the Western Slope, the state of Colorado, and the upper Colorado River basin.

Aspen Public Radio is a local NPR affiliate serving the Roaring Fork, Crystal, Colorado, Frying Pan and Eagle River Valleys. Now in its forty-first year, the organization works to support, nourish, and enrich the community by providing informative, entertaining and educational radio and digital programming in a reliable and professional manner.
Aurora Sentinel is a nonprofit newspaper providing comprehensive news coverage for the greater Aurora region, daily online, weekly in print with no paywalls, ensuring free and accessible quality journalism for everyone.

Boulder Beat is an independent outlet focusing on approachable journalism. Boulder Beat connects the community to Boulder city council and local government, and breaks down barriers to participation in discussion about issues that affect our community.
Boulder Reporting Lab is a nonprofit digital newsroom that provides the people who live, work, learn and play in and around Boulder, Colorado, with high-quality, trustworthy, local-first reporting and essential information to make sense of issues and events happening around them, navigate their lives and build community.
Boulder Weekly is an independently owned newspaper dedicated to illuminating truth, advancing justice and protecting the First Amendment through ethical, no-holds-barred journalism and thought-provoking opinion writing. Free every Thursday since 1993, the Weekly also offers the county’s most comprehensive arts and entertainment coverage.

Bucket List Community Cafe is a community inspired and community supported journalism site on Facebook, social media and the web that provides information, inspiration and interaction to North Denver.

Chalkbeat Colorado is a nonprofit, digital newsroom covering education in Denver and statewide, as part of a nationwide network of mission-aligned newsrooms committed to covering one of America’s most important stories: the effort to improve schools for all children, especially those who have historically lacked access to a quality education.

Colorado Community Media is a network of 24 community newspapers and online publications collectively serving more than 330,000 residents in cities and towns throughout Colorado's Front Range with clear, accurate coverage of the issues that matter to residents.

Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition is a nonpartisan alliance of groups, news organizations and individuals dedicated to ensuring the transparency of state and local governments in Colorado by promoting freedom of the press, open courts and open access to government records and meetings.

The Colorado Sun is an online news outlet providing long-form, in-depth coverage of news from across Colorado.

The Crestone Eagle is a nonprofit newsroom whose mission is to produce trustworthy local news in rural Saguache County, to promote community engagement, enhance economic development and connect residents throughout the San Luis Valley.

The Denver North Star and the G.E.S. Gazette are co-owned community newspapers with an online presence serving Northwest Denver, Globeville, Elyria, Swansea, and the RiNo Art District.

Denver Westword, the independent voice of news and culture in Denver since 1977, publishes a 24/7 website, westword.com, and also distributes a weekly paper — both free, now and forever.

Fresh Water News is a nonpartisan news service demystifying Colorado water issues, affiliated with the nonprofit Water Education Colorado.
Greater Park Hill News is an award winning, monthly print publication that has been in continuous production since 1960, covering neighborhood, local and (on occasion) national news for the Park Hill neighborhood in Denver.

KBUT Community Radio is a noncommercial community radio station and NPR affiliate serving the Gunnison Valley.

KDNK Radio is a community radio station and NPR affiliate serving Carbondale and the Roaring Fork Valley.

KGNU Community Radio is an independent, noncommercial community station serving Boulder County and Denver.

KOTO Radio is a community supported public broadcasting organization serving Telluride and Southwest Colorado.

KSJD Radio is a community radio station and NPR affiliate providing local news in southwest Colorado and the Four Corners region.

KSUT Public Radio is a community radio station and NPR affiliate serving Southwest Colorado, including the Ute tribal communities.

The Mountain-Ear is a community newspaper serving western Boulder County, western Jefferson County and Gilpin County. They are based in Nederland and have been in print since 1977.

Ouray County Plaindealer is a family-owned weekly newspaper serving communities in the San Juan Mountains since 1877. It is the only newspaper in Ouray County, and believes that “even small places deserve quality journalism.

The Pagosa Springs SUN is a weekly newspaper with a daily online component providing news, advertising and information to enrich the lives of the people in the Archuleta County area.

Public News Service provides free, multi-platform content to Colorado news outlets to support the mission of journalism in the public interest.
Pueblo Star Journal is a nonprofit print and digital newspaper serving the Pueblo community by “digging deeper”, pushing past the superficial and providing our readers with the most accurate, thought-provoking and comprehensive news in the Steel City.

The Sopris Sun/El Sol del Valle is the Roaring Fork Valley’s community-supported, nonprofit weekly newspaper. Multilingual in English and Spanish, the newsroom seeks to inform, inspire and build community. We also aim to incubate the craft of journalism for future generations through our high school journalism program.
Southeast Express is a local newspaper covering the most diverse area of Colorado Springs, providing news and a community conversation hub for a community that is traditionally underserved by local, mainstream media.
Valley News is a nonprofit community newsletter and radio station committed to reliable, informative, timely and entertaining programs for everyone living in the Wet Mountain Valley.
Wet Mountain Tribune is a print newspaper providing continuous weekly coverage and dissemination of community news for Wet Mountain Valley residents, property owners, businesses, and visitors since 1883.

Yellow Scene Magazine is the largest printed monthly publication in the Boulder and North Metro regions, providing engaging, journalistically sound, and always creative coverage of local and regional news, politics, arts, culture, entertainment, cuisine, and whatever else we think is relevant to the Community.

To learn more about the campaign or how to donate to the 33 newsrooms participating in the 2022 #newsCOneeds matching challenge, visit the campaign landing page: thisisnewsconeeds.com.