WHAT WE DO
Building Connections
JFP currently engages in three core programs, serving as a bridge and a leader in the growing realm of philanthropy-supported journalism:
JFP places an emphasis on supporting efforts to bring the diversity of local journalists to parity with the demographics of the communities they serve. JFP also prioritizes coverage-topics that have been particularly reduced by the wholesale declines in local news, including equity, economic mobility, education, health, housing, gun violence and the environment.
1.
Enabling major gifts to local journalism
2.
Fundraising guidance and training for journalism professionals
3.
Enabling broad community giving to local journalism
Enabling Major Gifts to Local Journalism – Partnerships between Funders and Journalism Organizations
The Situation
Foundations and other donors across the country are increasingly embracing the impact philanthropy can have on the depth and diversity of local journalism, seeing this impact as critical to a vibrant democracy and the overall health of their communities. Many individual and institutional donors want to support expanded or improved local journalism in their regions, often with a particular focus area in mind. In many cases, these funders want to support new or expanded coverage at publications or outlets that are part of for-profit organizations – but face the challenge that many foundations have policies that require all grants be made to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and many individual donors are only willing to make donations to a nonprofit for tax-deductibility reasons. In other cases, these funders want to support efforts at nonprofit journalism organizations but do not feel that they have the journalism experience or understanding to adequately assess the execution and measurable outcomes of the project or activity.
The Solution
JFP is proud to fully address this need by serving as a fiscal sponsor – a bridge between the funder and the journalism organization – allowing the individual or institutional donor to make the contribution through JFP. Sometimes the journalism organization and funder have already worked everything out, and JFP comes in when it’s time to process and execute the gift. Other times, JFP starts working with the journalism organization earlier in the process, guiding and supporting a solicitation. In all circumstances, JFP takes its fiduciary responsibilities as fiscal sponsor seriously, ensuring that donated funds are used for the targeted community-benefit-focused activities.
Fundraising Guidance and Training for Journalism Professionals
The Situation
Journalism professionals are trained in journalism, not in fundraising; most have limited, if any, experience (or comfort) soliciting major gifts from institutional or individual donors.
The Solution
As part of its major-gift and fiscal sponsorship endeavors, JFP offers guidance to journalism organizations on a case-by-case (grant-by-grant) basis. JFP is also working with prominent publishers and umbrella organizations on programs that will offer newsroom-wide training and support activities to hundreds of journalism professionals in 2021. In addition, JFP is in talks with a prominent educational institution about collaborating on open courses and workshops for journalism professionals on effectively working with funders in their local communities.
Enabling Broad Community Giving to Local Journalism
The Situation
Individuals in communities across the country believe deeply in the importance of local journalism and would welcome the opportunity to make charitable contributions to increase its depth and diversity. That said, many of the journalism organizations that donors would support have neither the 501(c)(3) status necessary to accept tax-deductible gifts nor the expertise or technical capacity to successfully execute and manage broad, direct-appeal, individual-giving campaigns.
The Solution
JFP partners with local journalism organizations to support robust community giving campaigns. In addition to serving as the fiscal sponsor and facilitating the tax benefits of donations, JFP provides expertise in planning successful direct-appeal campaigns, the digital platform for promoting and accepting individual contributions, back-end management and processing (e.g. financial processing, gift acknowledgment, reporting, etc.), state-by-state licensure to solicit contributions and oversight to ensure donated funds are used for the targeted community-benefit-focused activities.
New Programs
Through its board, its partners, and their extended networks, JFP is constantly assessing the most significant opportunities to increase the depth, diversity and sustainability of local journalism by building and stewarding connections between funders and reporting – with an eye toward developing or expanding programs to most effectively achieve that mission.