Applications Open for Advancing Equity in Local News Projects

Call for 2023 Projects that Respond to Community-Based Calls for Action

Colorado Media Project (CMP) supports local news outlets and projects that put community listening and information needs at the center of the journalism process — with a special emphasis on better service to and coverage of communities of color, linguistically diverse communities, low-income rural communities, and others not adequately served, reached or represented.

Applications are open through December 1 for the second round of the Advancing Equity in Local News grant program. These grants will support projects that address one or more of these three priorities, which are responsive to community-based calls for action put forth by the Colorado News Collaborative’s Black; Latinx; Asian, South Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander; and Native Voices Initiative Working Groups: 
• Support internal diversity, equity and inclusion capacity-building efforts in Colorado newsrooms;
• Strengthen connections and build trust between Colorado newsrooms and the diverse communities they serve; and/or
• Support more diverse and inclusive civic news leadership, entrepreneurship, ownership and narratives.

A total of at least $250,000 is expected to be available for 2023. The total grant amount per project may range between $5,000 and $25,000, with potential for more funding for projects that involve multiple partners and/or deliver more impact.

Attend an applicant information session on Thursday, Nov. 3 from 10 to 11 a.m. MT.

Submit your application on the Rose Community Foundation grants portal, by 5 p.m. MT on Dec. 1.

About the Informed Communities Fund

Support for these opportunities to date comes from The Colorado Trust, Democracy Fund, Gates Family Foundation and Rose Community Foundation.

Too often, journalism has been seen as a one-way street — where news outlets set the agenda for community conversations and priorities, and communities feel misunderstood or misrepresented and lose trust in the media. CMP aims to shift these power dynamics and build deeper levels of trust in local news, by inspiring new ways of two-way engagement between local newsrooms and the people most impacted by the important issues facing our state.

Funders interested in learning more or contributing to CMP’s Informed Communities Fund can contact Melissa Davis

Potential applicants with questions about this opportunity can reach out to Sam Moody, CMP Learning and Grants Manager.