Grant is to support local journalism in service of Ohio communities using our deep community engagement model
December 13, 2024
Columbus, OH – The MacArthur Foundation announced $20 million to support newsrooms, including Signal Ohio, and provide journalism infrastructure as part of its commitment to revitalize local news.
MacArthur launched the Local News Program last year with a commitment of at least $150 million in new grantmaking to local news over five years, and the potential of $25 million in additional impact investments. This latest round of grants brings the total committed to date to more than $90 million.
Signal Ohio will receive $250,000 to support local journalism in service of Ohio communities using our deep community engagement model.
“We are grateful for the investment from such a prestigious organization like MacArthur Foundation as we work to bring quality news and information to more readers across the state,” Signal Ohio CEO Rita McNeil Danish said. “Our mission is to provide local news for Ohio that is reflective of all our local communities, and anchored in their needs. We are already seeing success in our Cleveland, Akron and Statewide newsrooms and look forward to opening our newsroom in Cincinnati in 2025.”
The Local News Program provides pooled and aligned grantmaking to support Press Forward, a national initiative led by MacArthur to strengthen communities and democracy by supporting local news and information. This round of grants includes an additional $1 million to the pooled fund after an initial contribution of $32.5 million last year. An additional $3.3 million will go to the Chicago Community Trust to support local news in MacArthur’s headquarters city through Press Forward Chicago, one of 31 Press Forward Local Chapters launched over the past year.
“Our grantmaking supports a range of organizations working to strengthen nascent and emerging local news ecosystems and their leaders, who innovate in these spaces, with tools, resources, and funding. This includes a cohort of legacy newsrooms pioneering new paths,” said Silvia Rivera, MacArthur’s Director of Local News. “These investments are part of a collective effort to ensure that local communities have access to reliable and trustworthy information.”
For more information on other grantees, go here.
