Charlottesville Tomorrow receives $500,000 gift from the MacArthur Foundation

This month, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation made a major gift of $500,000 to the Charlottesville Tomorrow newsroom to strengthen local news in central Virginia.

This gift builds on the Foundation’s previous investments in Charlottesville Tomorrow. In 2023, Charlottesville Tomorrow was among the first newsrooms in the nation to receive a grant from the MacArthur Foundation as part of Press Forward, a national initiative to empower communities and bolster democracy by supporting local news. Then, they committed $350,000 over three years to amplify the impact and sustain the growth of our newsroom.

This week, the MacArthur Foundation expanded their support with a one-time gift of $500,000 to continue to improve information access and representation in local news in our region.

“This is the largest single gift Charlottesville Tomorrow has ever received, and it’s a direct result of the 20 years of our community’s support for reimagining local news,” said Angilee Shah, CEO and Editor-in-Chief. “We want to thank the MacArthur Foundation for recognizing the central Virginia region’s extraordinary vision for what’s possible.”

The MacArthur Foundation envisions a “local news renaissance” and supports newsrooms across the country through investments that address the “economic, structural, technological, and cultural challenges” that the industry faces today.

This significant gift from the MacArthur Foundation immediately strengthens Charlottesville Tomorrow’s growth toward its five-year strategic plan. It furthers our mission to deliver in-depth reporting and analysis that improves local decision-making and expands civic engagement to foster a vibrant, inclusive and interdependent community.