The American Journalism Project (AJP) today announced four transformative new grants to Louisville Public Media, The Nevada Independent, Outlier and WFAE. These multiyear investments will add critical business capacity to outstanding local news organizations to ensure long-term sustainability and growth. Louisville Public Media and WFAE will receive the first philanthropic investments in broadcast-focused public media from American Journalism Project.
The American Journalism Project conducted an extensive review of the field and identified these two public media organizations as producing original local journalism, having a dynamic multimedia strategy, demonstrating a commitment to meeting the information needs of diverse, traditionally underserved communities, executing innovative approaches to programming and revenue strategies, and having strong, ambitious leadership. These attributes position the pilot grants to accelerate impact and contribute to advanced insights about the role public media can play in rebuilding community trust in local news and filling critical information gaps.
Louisville Public Media will use these grants to significantly bolster operating capacity so we can expand the impact of our journalism to reach more of our community. The $655,000, three-year grant will support three new positions in the Development Department: Director of Donor Relations, Grants Manager, and Digital Membership Manager. The investment will also support a massive increase in our membership acquisition budget and a number of other initiatives associated with increasing membership, particularly in digital. You can learn more about these positions and apply here.
This is a companion grant to support business operations while LPM simultaneously invests in a newsroom expansion at 89.3 WFPL News. Click here to learn more about LPM’s $1.5 million investment to expand news coverage of city government, politics and leadership; business, workforce and economic development; public health and COVID-19; and race, racism, equity and access in our city.
“We are encouraged by the role that Louisville Public Media and WFAE are playing as a source of vital, audience-centered civic news in their communities. Their work to date and their vision for the future demonstrate how crucial public media can be in solving the local news crisis,” said Berman.
“Louisville Public Media and WFAE exemplify public media stations’ commitment to local journalism. These innovative stations provide high-quality coverage of their communities through collaboration and lots of engaged journalism,” said Kathy Merritt, senior vice president of Journalism, Radio and Community Service Grant Services for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. “They demonstrate potential for nonprofit news to serve the information needs of the American people. We appreciate the support of the American Journalism Project for these two public media stations.”
Louisville Public Media President Stephen George said the investment from AJP comes at a key time for the organization.
“During the past year especially, we have seen a much greater need for civic-minded news coverage in our city, which is why we’re working to expand our reporting capacity,” George said. “The investment from American Journalism Project will help us ensure our expanded coverage reaches more people in our community and is sustainable well into the future.”
You can hear from leaders of all grantees, including Louisville Public Media, in this video: American Journalism Project April 2021 Grantees
These public media grants are made in part through the support of the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, which gave a grant to the American Journalism Project designated for research and learning about public media and the role it can play in rebuilding local news.
About the American Journalism Project
The American Journalism Project (AJP) is committed to a vision in which an independent, resilient, and ubiquitous civic press represents, informs, and engages every member of the diverse public it serves. Founded by pioneers in nonprofit journalism, AJP is a venture philanthropy organization that makes investments in mission-driven nonprofit local news organizations and dynamic entrepreneurs, provides strategic support, and is building a movement to reimagine the future of local news. The American Journalism Project currently supports 20 newsrooms around the country.
About Louisville Public Media
Louisville Public Media (LPM) is an independent, community supported not-for-profit corporation serving our community with three distinct public radio stations and an investigative unit: 89.3 WFPL News Louisville provides local, national and international news, public affairs and cultural programming; 90.5 WUOL Classical Louisville is our city’s only classical music radio station; 91.9 WFPK Independent Louisville showcases independent, alternative music and an array of musical genres; and the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting (KyCIR) shines the light of accountability on the people and institutions in power.
Louisville Public Media is also a proud member of the Kentucky Public Radio Network and manager of the Ohio Valley ReSource, a regional journalism collaborative reporting on economic and social change in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia.
