National coalition “Press Forward,” on Monday, announced that $20 million in grant funds have been awarded to local news organizations throughout the United States, which “close local coverage gaps.”
A total of 205 newsrooms were awarded grants in amounts of either $50,000 or $100,000 over a 24-month period, to report the news in their region. After all applications were processed, The Real WV was the only newsroom in West Virginia to be awarded a Press Forward grant.
You can find the list of recipients at pressforward.news/grantees.
“We are proud to be part of a bright mosaic of independent, non-partisan sources that are reimagining what local news looks like across America,” said Stephen Baldwin, Publisher of The Real WV. “We reach beyond the headlines to the heart of Appalachian identity. By reporting on news & culture and the people who make them every day, we give the real story.”
The $50,000 that The Real WV is receiving from Press Forward is more than just a grant – it’s a symbolic gesture that national funders are investing in The Real WV, and, ultimately, in West Virginia and its residents.
“These newsrooms are proof that we are seeing a moment of transformation, where new and long-standing leaders are stepping up to create a new story for local news,” said Dale R. Anglin, Director, Press Forward. “Each of these newsrooms plays a vital public service role in its community – providing trustworthy local news and information in places where no other sources may exist. Independent newsrooms need community support to survive. We hope that more people will subscribe and donate to them.”
Motivated by the extraordinary quality and number of proposals, Press Forward is funding twice as many news organizations as it originally anticipated through its first open call. More than 900 proposals were received.
“We’re grateful to Press Forward and The Miami Foundation for funding newsrooms like ours in order to close local coverage gaps,” Baldwin added. “Thanks to funding from Press Forward, our newsroom is now proudly one of 205 small, local news outlets – including one in every U.S. state – that are receiving a share of $20 million to close these persistent coverage gaps.”
For more information, visit pressforward.news or check out therealwv.com