Charlottesville Tomorrow has received a two-year $75,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Fund at The Miami Foundation.
The funding is part of The Knight Local Media Initiative that aims to help nonprofit news organizations establish long-term sustainability. The initiative comprises various other investments in the space, including $5 million in grants to over 25 local online news organizations that have demonstrated potential for growth and the INNovation Fund, which promotes newsroom innovation.
Charlottesville Tomorrow believes informed citizens create better communities. Since 2005, Charlottesville Tomorrow has provided the public with clear, non-partisan information and research on the critical land use, transportation, and community design issues facing Charlottesville-Albemarle. Since 2009, its news stories have been a regular feature in The Daily Progress. In 2013, Charlottesville Tomorrow expanded its coverage to include local public education and launched a new media partnership with C-VILLE Weekly to publish that news.
“The Knight Foundation has been a major supporter of innovation in community news and we greatly appreciate their continued confidence in our work,” said Brian Wheeler, the non-profit’s Executive Director. “We are eager to demonstrate how Charlottesville Tomorrow can inform and engage a larger audience while both increasing and diversifying our revenues. This grant will also help us make strategic decisions to better engage the public with information they can use to improve our community.”
Knight advances journalism excellence in the digital age, through an array of media innovation projects and other initiatives. Knight seeks projects that lead to transformational, sustainable change.
“This investment is intended to help organizations that have shown promise develop new innovations, while adding to the momentum they have already built towards further growth and sustainability,” said Michael Maness, Knight Foundation vice president of journalism and media innovation.
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit KnightFoundation.org.
Charlottesville Tomorrow’s mission is to inform and engage the public by providing clear, non-partisan information and research on land use, transportation, community design, and public education issues with the confidence an informed public will make decisions that will protect and build upon the distinctive character of the Charlottesville-Albemarle area.
