News Match to Raise Money and Awareness for Nonprofit Newsrooms on #GivingNewsDay

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Every year, millions of Americans mark the Tuesday after Thanksgiving by donating to nonprofit and philanthropic causes as part of Giving Tuesday. This year, News Match—the largest-ever grassroots campaign to strengthen nonprofit journalism across the United States—is launching #GivingNewsDay as part of this nationwide effort.

With a goal of making 2017 a record-breaking year for donations to nonprofit news, more than 100 local and investigative newsrooms are eligible to receive up to $28,000 each in matching grants, totaling more than $6 million in new support for journalism. Giving Tuesday encourages people to support the causes that matter to them, #GivingNewsDay is a reminder that quality journalism shines a spotlight on those issues every day.

• In North Carolina The War Horse's reporting, led by a Marine infantry combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient, revealed rampant sexual harassment in the Marines and led to hearings in the Senate Armed Services Committee.
  
• In Wisconsin journalists at the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Reporting reported that hundreds of thousands of people in the state are at risk of drinking water with unsafe levels of lead and other contaminants.
  
• ProPublica's reporting on maternal mortality not only illuminated a critical public health crisis but also saved at least one life when a woman who had read the series recognized her symptoms were preeclampsia and raced to the nearest emergency room.

News Match donations help to ensure that local communities—and the issues they care about—get the coverage that they deserve.

"A new generation of nonprofit newsrooms are providing the news and information Americans need at a time when we most need accurate and thorough reporting," said Lauren Pabst of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. "These newsrooms rely on audience support and News Match endeavors to accelerate and double that community support."

News Match 2017 was launched by Democracy Fund, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and the MacArthur Foundation to support nonprofit news organizations that play a vital role informing the public and holding those in power accountable.

"Trusted nonprofit and local news organizations are essential to building stronger communities, holding our decision makers accountable, and providing people with the information they need to contribute to civic change. Ensuring they have a bright future is in all of our interests," said Jennifer Preston, Knight Foundation vice president for journalism.

Since the launch, News Match has announced four new supporting partner foundations. More than 20 foundations, corporations, and individual donors are offering matching challenges. The Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation is contributing $100,000 to the national News Match fund, while also matching donations to five local newsrooms as part of its ongoing grant making. Meanwhile, the Gates Family Foundation, the Wyncote Foundation, and the News Integrity Initiative are partnering with News Match to match to specific newsrooms. In ten other states, individual donors and local foundations have stepped up, adding at least another $500,000 in matching funds to the campaign.

"We've never seen a movement of funders and donors turning out to support nonprofit news like this before," said Sue Cross, Executive Director and CEO of the Institute for Nonprofit News. "But because these are challenge grants, nonprofit newsrooms across the United States are depending on you to donate and unlock these matching funds."

Anyone can contribute by going to newsmatch.org between now and the end of the year.

All news organizations participating in News Match are members in good standing of the Institute for Nonprofit News. To be a member, an organization must be a 501(c)(3) or have a 501(c)3 fiscal sponsor, must be transparent about funding sources, and produce investigative and/or public-service reporting. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Visit newsmatch.org for more information.

About the Institute for Nonprofit News:
The Institute for Nonprofit News is an incubator and support network for nonprofit newsrooms, strengthening the sources of independent, public service information and investigative journalism for thousands of communities across the U.S.  INN is the only organization in the U.S. specifically focused on supporting the emerging nonprofit news sector. For more, visit INN.org.

About Democracy Fund:
The Democracy Fund is a bipartisan foundation established by eBay founder and philanthropist Pierre Omidyar to help ensure that our political system can withstand new challenges and deliver on its promise to the American people. Since 2011, Democracy Fund has invested more than $60 million in support of effective governance, modern elections, and a vibrant public square. For more, visit democracyfund.org.

About the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation:
Founded by Edith Kinney Gaylord, Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation's mission is to invest in the future of journalism by building the ethics, skills and opportunities needed to advance principled, probing news and information. For more, visit journalismfoundation.org.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation:
Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy. For more, visit knightfoundation.org.

About the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation:
The MacArthur Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. MacArthur is placing a few big bets that truly significant progress is possible on some of the world's most pressing social challenges, including over-incarceration, global climate change, nuclear risk, and significantly increasing financial capital for the social sector. In addition to the MacArthur Fellows Program, the Foundation continues its historic commitments to the role of journalism in a responsible and responsive democracy, as well as the strength and vitality of our headquarters city, Chicago. More information is available at macfound.org.

SOURCE News Match