North Carolina Local News Lab Fund

🆕This year reinforced the essential role that local news and community organizations play in keeping North Carolina informed, connected, and prepared. When a catastrophic hurricane swept through our state, they provided lifesaving updates. During high-stakes national, state, and local elections, they guided voters through critical decisions. And in quieter moments, they continued the steady work of strengthening our communities—sharing stories, addressing information gaps, and building trust. As we look to 2025 and beyond, we'll continue to invest in NC’s local news and community organizations and ensure our grantmaking is as expansive, accessible, and equitable as possible. Read more about the Fund’s 2024 reflections and our commitment to you in 2025 in Director Lizzy Hazeltine’s end-of-year letter: https://lnkd.in/eH-F4eds

“Take time to do it well…and do it at the speed of community.” – Jesus Garcia-Gonzalez, San Antonio Area Foundation on building Press Forward San Antonio. 📢 Press Forward now has 36 chapters nationwide, building support for local news in their own backyards. At the Knight Media Forum, four local leaders talked about what it takes to make the case for local news in their communities, raise funds for it, and build lasting partnerships and trust with community members. • In San Jose and San Antonio, the chapters spent a year listening to their communities. Press Forward San Antonio, for example, translated a community survey on local news into four languages and went to supermarkets and community-based organizations to talk with residents. • In Northeast Iowa, the chapter thought outside the box and held a fundraiser with the voice of the Iowa Hawkeyes, who brought in players from the team and raised $160,000 for local news. • In North Carolina, where the North Carolina Local News Lab Fund was founded in 2017, trusted relationships built over time helped them respond to support news outlets in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Learn more about our Locals in our latest impact report: pressforward.news/impact Silicon Valley Community Foundation Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque Lizzy Hazeltine Jesus Garcia-Gonzalez Nancy Van Milligen Mauricio Palma Christina Shih Knight Foundation #PressForward

It's a welcome defrost to be in Miami for Knight Media Forum with so many others. I'm here to be with Press Forward chapter teams, see people I admire in person, and reflect on one year of North Carolina Local News Lab Fund's membership in this national movement. Looking forward to getting tactical about what's possible (and needed) in our current moment.

We are glad to see our grant partners and other leaders from Western NC lead the keynote conversation at the Summit about the essential role of news and transparency during Hurricane Helene and through recovery. We look forward to hearing from panelists from the Watauga Democrat, Asheville Citizen-Times, The News & Observer Publishing Company, and our grant partners Enlace Latino NC, JMPRO Community Media, Blue Ridge Public Radio (BPR).

🎉Congratulations to the North Carolina news organizations that received funding from Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation for their work to “change policies, power structures, and other root causes so that all North Carolinians can lead fulfilling lives.” We’re especially proud of our grant partners who were awarded funding for their work toward creating “state-level systemic change in North Carolina”: ⭐Casa Azul de Wilson ⭐EL CENTRO HISPANO INC ⭐El Pueblo, Inc. ⭐Emancipate NC ⭐Enlace Latino NC ⭐North Carolina Health News ⭐North Carolina Housing Coalition ⭐Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) ⭐Student Action with Farmworkers ⭐Toxic Free NC ⭐You Can Vote

With federal funding for Helene recovery secured, now is the time for state policymakers to act to fill the funding gaps and sustain the public response, and it is imperative that their response be informed by the needs and priorities of those affected. On Wednesday, Feb. 5, 7 – 8 p.m. (ET), the North Carolina Budget & Tax Center, in partnership with North Carolina Inclusive Disaster Recovery and MDC, Inc., is hosting a telephone townhall event for Western North Carolinians affected by Hurricane Helene to share their stories, voice their needs, and make their priorities clear. We have invited state lawmakers and tens of thousands of Western North Carolinians in disaster-declared counties. To register for the event, please fill out the contact form by following the link below and you will receive a follow-up email with further information: https://lnkd.in/gwTif7r6 #DisasterRecovery #HurricaneHelene #NCIDR #MovingRuralForward

Verified information is key to fighting panic when misinformation and disinformation are striding through communities. That verification needs to reach people where they are, serve people directly affected. For others, there's the need to navigate what's being offered in different geographies and the landscape of helpers. Both modes are humming in NC around immigration policy. Enlace Latino NC pulled together a list of open lines, text alerts across NC for reporting, verifying, and then sharing information about ICE activities. Siembra NC, Carolina Migrant Network, RadarSafe, and COMPANEROS INMIGRANTES DE LAS MONTANAS EN ACCION are doing important, timely information work. [ES] https://lnkd.in/ed4UpSNW English translation is available on Enlace Latino NC's site.

📅 The deadline for Investigative Reporters and Editors’ Total Newsroom Training is this Sunday, February 2. The training is designed to “help small- to medium-size newsrooms improve watchdog and enterprise coverage.” Spanish-language newsrooms are welcome to apply. ⬇️

📣Registration for the 2025 NC News and Information Summit is now open! The North Carolina Local News Workshop and the North Carolina Open Government Coalition will co-host the daylong summit on Wednesday, March 12, at North Carolina Central University. The event includes sessions and workshops for journalists and community leaders on: ✅Government transparency and accountability ✅Access to news and information ✅Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in news ✅News product innovation and sustainability ✅Community engagement in North Carolina The Summit will prioritize travel, lodging, and registration stipends for media professionals from Western NC communities impacted by Hurricane Helene, and there may be stipend support for others outside of the region. Check out the registration link for more information: https://lnkd.in/eZ96yW5W

🌟Congratulations to our grant partners, the North Carolina Local News Workshop and the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative on being named one of the top 2024 journalism collaborations by the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair University! Check out the list in the post below to learn more about these collaborations and their impact. ⬇️