New England news organizations received 5% out of the nearly $16 million in grants announced today through the Facebook Journalism Project’s relief fund for local news. The grants were awarded to more than 200 news organizations in North America, including 11 in New England that will receive individual grants totaling $810,645.
The COVID-19 Local News Relief Grant Program was designed to provide support for US local news organizations serving a critical role for communities impacted by COVID-19. The funding is intended to respond to immediate community needs and/or offset some revenue shortfalls to help publishers maintain long-term sustainability during this crisis.
“The grant of $100,000 to MaineToday Media will assist in funding our newsroom payroll at the Portland Press Herald, Morning Sentinel (Waterville) and Kennebec Journal (Augusta), allowing us to continue publishing stories covering every aspect of the crisis to keep Maine’s people informed and connected.” Lisa DeSisto, CEO MaineToday Media
NEW ENGLAND NEWS ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVING GRANTS
Connecticut
Record-Journal Meriden Meriden, CT
Grant Amount: $99,501
The Waterbury Observer Waterbury, CT
Grant Amount: $25,000
Maine
MaineToday Media Portland, ME
Publications include: pressherald.com, centralmaine.com
Grant Amount: $100,000
Massachusetts
Boston Globe* Boston, MA
Grant Amount: $150,000
Boxcar Media, LLC. / iBerkshires.com North Adams, MA
Grant Amount: $65,404
MuckRock on behalf of Outlier Media Somerville, MA
Grant Amount: $70,140
New Hampshire
Newspapers of New England, Inc. Concord, NH
Publications include: concordmonitor.com, vnews.com, ledgertranscript.com, gazettenet.com, recorder.com, atholdailynews.com
Grant Amount: $100,000
New Hampshire Public Radio* Concord, NH
Grant Amount: $40,000
Rhode Island
Portsmouth Press Portsmouth, RI
Grant Amount: $25,000
Vermont
The Chester Telegraph Chester, VT
Grant Amount: $35,600
VT Digger* Montpelier, VT
Grant Amount: $100,000
*Asterisk denotes Accelerator participants who are receiving grants.
The Facebook Journalism Project Local News Accelerator program includes a three-month period of workshops, now fully virtual, led by the Accelerator’s executive director Tim Griggs, regular reports on best business practices and grants administered by the Lenfest Institute and the International Center for Journalists. Accelerator participants from the US and Canada are receiving relief grants to help safeguard the transformation they’ve achieved over the last several years and to capitalize on new opportunities.