The Seeley Swan Pathfinder was one of more than 200 news organizations to receive nearly $16 million in grants through the Facebook Journalism Project’s relief fund for local news. The grant will be used to hire a part-time reporter, grant free and reduced local and regional advertising to businesses and non-profits impacted by COVID-19 and grant free and reduced subscriptions to high-risk residents.
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. 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 Facebook Journalism Project received more than 2,000 applications for the COVID-19 Local News Relief Grant Program from newsrooms across the United States. Grants ranged from $25,000 - $100,000. The Pathfinder received a grant for $30,000.
Grant recipients were selected through a process led by the Local Media Association (LMA) and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism and with significant contributions from the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), Local Independent Online News Publishers (LION), Local Media Consortium (LMC) and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). The Pathfinder and the Boulder Monitor were the only two recipients in Montana.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical role local news plays in our communities, while simultaneously threatening their very existence. Reviewing hundreds of applications on a tight timeline both illustrated the depth of need but also highlighted the innovation that these small, independent publishers can provide for their communities when given the resources,” said Jonathan Kealing, INN’s chief network officer. “I’m excited to see new news products and more critical original reporting in these communities, thanks to Facebook’s support.”
Nearly four in five of the recipients are family- or independently owned newspapers. Half are published by or for communities of color and nearly 40% are digitally native publishers. Just over a third are non-profits.
Owners of the Pathfinder Nathan and Andi Bourne are excited for the opportunity to offer more in-depth coverage for their readership by bringing on a part time reporter. They are extremely grateful for the opportunity to be able to reach out and help their advertisers and readers with free and reduced rates during this incredibly challenging time.
The Pathfinder is still working on the details for how advertisers and subscribers can apply for reduced rate or free advertising and subscriptions. Information will be provided soon. Businesses and non-profits interested in taking advantage of these advertising grants are encouraged to contact us pathfinder@seeleylake.com or 406-677-2022 and leave a message.
“We’re proud to support this diverse group of publishers — many of which are family- or independently owned,” said Campbell Brown, VP of global news partnerships at Facebook. “Not only are these journalists working tirelessly to serve people right now — they’re focused on transformation, building innovative local news businesses that can continue to serve communities beyond the current pandemic.”
The grants stem from $25 million in local news relief funding announced in March as part of Facebook’s $100 million global investment in news. For the full announcement and list of recipients by state visit https://fb.me/COVID19-Relief-Fund-Recipients.
Reader Comments(0)