2023 #newsCOneeds
Grant Opportunity and Philanthropy Lab
Goals: To help Colorado news outlets increase public awareness and grassroots support from individuals for the vital public service that journalism provides to our communities, and to build philanthropic fundraising capacity and knowledge-sharing across Colorado’s public-service media ecosystem.
Eligibility: Nonprofit or locally-owned for-profit Colorado journalism outlets that are planning to execute a year-end philanthropic giving, membership, or subscription campaign are eligible to apply to participate in a 2023 philanthropy lab, and to receive a $5,000 matching grant from the Colorado Media Project, to help inspire dollar-for-dollar matches from individuals during the 2023 #newsCOneeds campaign. Outlets must be actively publishing high-quality, non-advocacy, nonpartisan, public service journalism. Non-profit members of the Institute for Nonprofit News are eligible to participate in both #newsCOneeds and the INN’s national NewsMatch program.
Matching Grant Challenge: Colorado Media Project will match up to $5,000 per newsroom for new memberships, donations, subscriptions or contributions made from individuals between 8 a.m. MT on Nov. 28, 2023 (a.k.a. #GivingNewsDay) and midnight MT on Dec. 31, 2023. To be eligible for a match, contributions must meet criteria set forth by the national NewsMatch campaign, i.e., contributions from individuals up to $1,000, for which the individual doesn’t receive any additional benefit other than the joy of supporting local news. Contributions from businesses, foundations, or other institutions do not qualify toward the CMP match, but may be leveraged to increase the size of the match pool used to solicit contributions from individuals.
Philanthropy Lab: This year, based on feedback from CMP grantees, #newsCOneeds is getting a boost: a longer lead-up period to prepare for the year-end fundraising campaign, supported by a new "philanthropy lab" with news industry and fundraising experts, designed to boost newsroom capacity to raise funds. Starting in early August, COLab will convene newsrooms bi-weekly for hour-long sessions with training from the Local Media Association's Lab for Journalism Funding, Colorado-based Make Philanthropy Work . By November, participants will emerge prepared for the 2023 #newsCOneeds campaign (and future fundraising) with:
A plan for identifying 2-3 community needs for which journalism is an effective response.
A map of their community to identify influencers and donors who have capacity and share the community concerns.
A written Case for Support, the key document for fundraising, on which other fundraising materials and meetings are based.
A blueprint for approaching major donors for matching gifts (in addition to the $5,000 matching gift from Colorado Media Project).
Ready-made graphics, language and other materials to support a year-end fundraising campaign.
Requirements: Participating outlets commit to:
Submit a letter from their organization’s chief executive pledging support for the participants time commitment of approximately five hours per week from August-December 2023. This time represents what a newsroom should expect to spend participating in trainings, completing homework, and developing and executing a robust fundraising plan.
Attend twice-monthly, hour-long virtual philanthropy lab workshop sessions, and one in-person session.
Complete practical homework assignments for each session that will directly augment a newsroom’s capacity to raise funds.
Execute the plan they develop during the cohort workshops during the November 28-December 31 giving period.
Share outreach examples and lessons learned with fellow cohort members at the December and January meetings.
Submit documentation of donations received toward the match, and an impact report summarizing fundraising results and lessons learned to Colorado Media Project by January 30, 2024, in order to receive payment in early 2024.
2023 Timeline:
Application opens: Friday, June 23, 2023
Applicant information session: Thursday, July 6, 2023 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. (via Zoom - Register here)
Application deadline: Monday, July 17, 2023 at 5 p.m. MT
Applicant notification of acceptance/denial (via email): By Friday, July 21, 2023
Grantee Welcome and Philanthropy Lab Kickoff : 3 p.m. Thursday, July 27
Ongoing Philanthropy Lab Workshop Sessions: 8/10, 8/24, 9/7, 9/23 (in-person during the Colorado Press Association convention), 10/5, 10/19, 11/2, 11/16, 11/30, 12/14, 1/18/2024
Match eligibility period: November 28, 2023 through December 31, 2023
Matching documentation and final report due: January 31, 2024
Grant funds released: By February 28, 2024, once match documentation is reviewed and verified by Colorado Media Project
This year’s #newsCOneeds grant and philanthropy lab are a collaborative effort supported by Colorado Media Project, Colorado News Collaborative, Local Media Association, and Make Philanthropy Work. Many thanks to our talented partners, trainers, and advisors for their support of Colorado’s newsrooms - and many more thanks to the newsrooms of Colorado, for their feedback that continues to inform the evolution of #newsCOneeds!
CMP’s 2023 #newsCOneeds matching challenge is made possible through unrestricted support to CMP from Bohemian Foundation, Democracy Fund, and Gates Family Foundation. CMP’s fiscal sponsor, Rose Community Foundation, provides oversight and administration for the funds. Over the last five years, the CMP #newsCOneeds matching challenge has raised nearly $2.3 million for local Coloradan news outlets.