IRJ is collaborating with Press Forward Appalachia and the Rural News Fund
The Institute for Rural Journalism, in collaboration with Press Forward Appalachia and the Rural News Fund, will provide advice and support for eight news organizations awarded capital and resource investment awards of up to $100,000 each. IRJ will help awardees build a foundation that expands news coverage in underserved areas and news deserts.
The diverse group of awardees will work to strengthen their community reporting while incorporating innovative approaches to build their news organizations' capacity through sustainable business models.
In the first year, awardees receive a $50,000 grant to build internal capacity, alongside free one-on-one coaching from experienced industry advisors (“Navigators”), peer learning opportunities, and shared spaces for collaboration. In year two, organizations may access up to $50,000 in additional flexible, repayable funding tailored to their needs, to help them diversify revenue and move toward longer-term financial sustainability.
Rural News Fund Awardees:
- Allegheny Mountain Radio (VA, WV)
- Appalachia + MidSouth Newsroom (KY, TN, WV)
- Black by God the West Virginian (WV)
- Enlace Latino (NC)
- Mountain Top Media (KY)
- Southeast Ohio Independent News/Athens County Independent (OH)
- WMMT - Mountain Community Radio (KY)
- West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WV)
MGP Managing Director Eli Flournoy leads the Rural News Fund Navigator team, alongside Benjy Hamm, Director of the Institute for Rural Journalism; former West Virginia Public Broadcasting CEO Scott Finn; and veteran public media executive John Davidow. Together, the team brings deep experience supporting small news organizations navigating editorial and business demands.
"Small news business and editorial leaders are often the same person,” Flournoy told The Rural Blog. “We designed the Navigator program to add essential capacity and peer cohort collaboration to small news business operations.”