2020 #newsCOneeds Campaign and Matching Challenge
FAQ and Campaign Timeline
(back to main page)
What are the goals of the #newsCOneeds campaign?
To help Colorado newsrooms build trust and transparency, by spotlighting the vital public service they provide to our communities
To help Colorado newsrooms increase financial support from individuals, through new donations, memberships, and subscriptions
To build a “membership mindset”, fundraising capacity, and knowledge-sharing across the local media ecosystem
Is my newsroom eligible to participate in the #newsCOneeds campaign?
All Colorado newsrooms that are regularly publishing high-quality, fact-based, public service journalism for a Colorado audience are eligible to participate in the #newsCOneeds public awareness campaign.
Newsrooms must apply high journalistic standards for accuracy and fairness, including openly correcting errors and prominently labeling opinion, commentary, and sponsored content. Newsrooms must maintain editorial independence, and avoid conflicts of interest that could compromise the integrity of the work.
Publications with points of view may be accepted on a case-by-case basis. Those publications must be producing original reporting that does not misrepresent facts or selectively publish stories in an attempt to advance a policy or cause.
Is my newsroom eligible for a matching grant from Colorado Media Project?
Colorado’s nonprofit newsrooms and locally-owned and operated newsrooms that are regularly publishing high-quality, fact-based, public service journalism for a primarily Colorado audience can apply for a $5,000 matching grant from CMP.
Support for CMP’s 2020 matching grant program comes from: Bohemian Foundation, Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation, Democracy Fund, and Gates Family Foundation.
How do I apply? What’s the deadline?
Colorado newsrooms that are eligible for a matching grant should apply via this application with Rose Community Foundation, CMP’s fiscal sponsor. Follow a series of prompts to set up your organization’s profile in the portal, then click Apply button. Scroll through the list of grants, then select “Colorado Media Project - 2020 #newsCOneeds Year-End Giving Challenge.”
Colorado newsrooms that do not qualify for a grant, but wish to participate in the awareness campaign and learning cohort should apply via this application.
The deadline to apply via both applications is 5 p.m. MT on Monday, September 28. Both applications include a short round of questions about current audience, revenue, and staffing levels, to gain a baseline among participants and track program impact year-over-year.
If you have questions about eligibility for the campaign or grant program, contact Philip Clapham at pclapham@coloradomediaproject.com.
If you need technical assistance setting up you organization’s profile in the Rose Community Foundation portal, or other issues pertaining to the submission of your grant application, contact Kelly Costello at kcostello@rcfdenver.org.
What benefits and requirements are there?
As part of a new Colorado News Collaborative (COLab) cohort, selected newsrooms will work with support from the News Revenue Hub -- a national leader in building local news sustainability -- to co-create messages for the #newsCOneeds campaign. Participants will receive campaign collateral and templates that can be used to support subscription drives, membership drives, or philanthropic giving programs.
COLab and News Revenue Hub will facilitate four 1.5 hour cohort meetings (via Zoom): One group brainstorming and planning meeting in early October, a campaign preparation session in early November, a mid-campaign check-in December, and a group debrief in January. Specific dates will be confirmed on acceptance.
Participating outlets commit to executing the plan they develop at the brainstorming session in October, providing outreach examples and lessons learned to fellow cohort members at the December and January meetings, and submitting a final impact report in early 2021.
For matching grant awardees, basic documentation of donations received toward the match and summary of fundraising results also must be submitted to Colorado Media Project in early 2021.
The national NewsMatch campaign plans to promote #GivingNewsDay and year-end fundraising for nonprofit journalism nationwide with a multi-pronged awareness campaign, and also will share best practices for local news fundraising. Nonprofit newsrooms participating in the NewsMatch program can leverage the CMP grant as a part of either or both campaigns.
Which donations or contributions count toward the CMP matching grant?
Colorado Media Project will match up to $5,000 per organization for new individual memberships or donations of $1,000 or below made on #GivingNewsDay (Dec. 1, 2020), #ColoradoGivesDay (Dec. 8, 2020), or another date or time period prior to Dec. 31, 2020 that is collectively selected by the participating newsrooms for the campaign.
If a donation includes any benefit to the donor (eg: a subscription or other gift), only the portion above that value can be counted toward the match. See NewsMatch eligibility criteria for complete details. Locally owned commercial or public benefit newsrooms accepted into the matching grant program will be expected to include transparent language that discloses they are not a nonprofit newsroom, and individual contributions matched via the grant may only be used for public benefit or educational purposes.
Key Dates
September 11: #newsCOneeds2020 Awareness Campaign + Matching Challenge Applications open
September 22: Awareness Campaign + Matching Challenge Information session (Register here)
September 28: #newsCOneeds2020 Awareness Campaign + Matching Challenge Applications close
October 5: Recipients of CMP Matching Challenge grant notified
October 13: Matching Challenge kickoff meeting (required for grant recipients)
November 10: #newsCOneeds Campaign Preparation Session (required for awareness campaign +grant recipients)
December 1: Giving Newsday - #newsCOneeds campaign launches - matching period begins
December 8: Colorado Gives Day
December 15: Mid-campaign check-in (required for grant recipients)
December 31: Matching Period ends
January 19: Campaign debrief (required for grant recipients)
By February 1: Match documentation and impact reports due for matching grant awardees
By end of February (rolling): Matching funds released