The Lenfest Institute for Journalism is embarking on a comprehensive citywide effort to catalyze civic action and dialogue leading up to Philadelphia’s Mayoral Election in November 2023. The initiative will equip Philadelphians with what they need to ensure an informed voting experience through the support of public-opinion research, intensive community listening, issues coverage in multiple languages, voter guides, civics information, and events and debates.

The project’s overarching goal is to ensure that the issues that matter most to all of Philadelphia’s diverse communities are amplified and centered in the 2023 election by media, community organizations, and the candidates.

Through collaborative reporting and grants, we will partner with a wide array of media and community partners to deliver high quality journalism and information about the 2023 election. Through these partnerships, we will engage both mainstream and community media, support and conduct in-person and virtual events, community conversations and debates, and utilize traditional and social media to maximize reach and impact of the project. All reporting, event summaries, and materials produced by our partners will be aggregated on a project website.

In addition to the opportunity for financial support, any organization can become a project partner. Project partners will join a vibrant community of practice and have access to the project’s resource center, which includes elections reporting, voter guides, civics education materials, community data and research, media trainings, and partner events.

Learn more about the grant guidelines for media and community partners:

• Media Partners
• Community Partners

Organizations who met the eligibility requirements above submitted a Letter of Intent (LOI) via Submittable by October 11, 2022. LOIs are no more than three pages, and included:

• Description of the proposed project and activities
• Proposed start/end dates
• Proposed collaborators or partners
• Communities served/engaged
• Expected audience reach
• Overview of anticipated expenses

LOIs will be reviewed based on the following criteria:

• Alignment with the initiative’s overall goals and funding priorities
• Diverse communities served, and authentic/non-extractive engagement of the defined community(ies)
• Reasonable ability to achieve the proposed project (budget, management)

Selected organizations will be invited to submit a full application in late October. The full application will include details on project goals, metrics, promotion, and a full project budget.

QUESTIONS AND MORE INFORMATION

For more information, please visit the project’s FAQ page. For any additional questions, please contact [email protected].