NPR Receives Grant To Fund New Newsrooms

One of the most important things right now in our society is quality journalism. And with layoffs happening all over the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s a scary world. It’s always good to hear good news on this front. And here’s some great news: NPR announced recently that it has received a $4.7 million philanthropic grant to fund two newsrooms.

This grant comes from philanthropists Larry and Wendy Schmidt (of the Schmidt family foundation) and will go directly to the Collaborative Journalism Network, an initiative of NPR that fosters collaborative journalism, between NPR and it’s member stations. Larry Schmidt is the former CEO of Google.

What states will benefit from this grant?

This grant will go directly to funding two brand new newsrooms, one in California, as well as a midwest hub that will connect “member stations” in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska. The goal is to increase local coverage across those states, especially in underserved communities, with some of the funding going to increase investigative reporting capacity.

Wendy Schmidt, had this to say about the grant being awarded to NPR:

“Now more than ever, we depend on high-quality journalism for timely and critical information.

Schmidt continued:

“Local news is especially important, and with so many newsrooms in decline, we need to invest in strengthening reporting resources from trusted sources like public radio. These regional news hubs will not only increase local reporting of critical issues, they will also elevate diverse voices and perspectives in regional and national stories.”

Radio is back on the waves

25 public radio stations Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri which deliver news to 63 cities will have access to the content produced by the midwest regional newsroom. And this newsroom will be led by some of the largest public media stations in that area. These will include KUCR in Kansas City, St.Louis Public Radio, Iowa Public Radio, And NET in Nebraska. NPR will serve as a national partner to these stations.

And the new California newsroom, the public radio-collaboration will be led by KQED in San Francisco. It will include anchor stations like KPBS in San Diego, CapRadio in Sacramento, KPCC/LAist, and KCRW in Southern California. And NPR will serve as the national partner.

This grant will also go towards expanding investigative journalistic capabilities. It will add investigative units in California and the Midwest, which will allow for regional newsrooms to provide deeper coverage of important topics. These will include topics like government accountability, criminal justice reform, environmental issues, and healthcare.

Discover more grants!

Check out the grant listed below, and the rest of the grants available to journalists, by using the search bar on GrantWatch.com https://www.grantwatch.com/grant/172527/residencies-to-usa-canada-and-international-individuals-in-the-journalism-nonfiction-and-documentary-fields.html