Guide

How to create grant programs with support built-in for newsrooms

December 10, 2025

The team from 9 Millones of Puerto Rico at the kick-off of the first Solutions Journalism Revenue Accelerator. Courtesy of SJN

This post is part of “Building a Thriving News Ecosystem,” a series from Knight Communities Network, a Lenfest Institute community of practice for local funders creating thriving news ecosystems.

Grants to newsrooms are certainly beneficial. But alone, the money can only go so far in a time of major transformation for the local news business. That’s why there’s been a trend toward grant programs with support built in, such as advisory services and training, to help provide access to subject matter experts, collaborative learning, and experimentation.

For funders looking to maximize the impact of their grants, grant programs with support offer a useful solution. These programs can range from simple coaching support to full-blown shared services for newsrooms, scaling up to serve dozens of publishers. Here’s a range of potential support programs and approximate cost (excluding direct funding to publishers), from simplest to most complex:

Advisory services for newsrooms. Price is typically a consultant’s hourly fee, from $80 to $250 per hour.
Business accelerator program. Typically has 15 to 20 newsrooms in the program, and cost can run from $100,000 to $150,000 per program.
Shared services. Typically has 5 to 20 newsrooms, who share fractional support staff in areas such as sales, marketing, and technology. Cost can run from $250,000 and up annually.

A great example of a grant plus support program is the new Public Media Bridge Fund, a coalition of funders supporting public media in the wake of federal funding cuts. The Fund, which is managed by Public Media Company, has raised $55 million so far, with a goal of hitting $100 million. But it’s not just about covering funding gaps; the Bridge Fund will also include advisory services for public media stations.

“While our initial grantmaking is focused on stabilizing the system and securing local public media service in communities across the country, we see our advisory and consulting services as key to helping our grantees evaluate and implement strategies for long-term sustainability,” said Louisa Lincoln, head of impact and engagement at the fund.

That’s the point of these kinds of programs: Give newsrooms the help they need in the moment, but also give them the knowledge and confidence they need to succeed beyond the grant by providing money to stabilize operations for the short term, and support that can build skills and connections for the future.

Below are some tips and best practices on starting an effective program that includes grants and support.

1. Do your research to know what’s needed.

When finding the right structure for your program, it helps to understand the ecosystem, its key players, its strengths, and its challenges. Earlier this year, Press Forward Chicago surveyed local newsrooms to find out what resources they need. The group also conducted follow-up focus groups and is planning to offer shared services to newsrooms based on the data collected.

“We are absolutely meeting [newsrooms] halfway or more — we want to match this based on their capacity to receive the support, and ultimately to sustain it over time,” said Tracy Baim, executive director of Press Forward Chicago and a former local newsroom leader. “We are continually surveying them for more nuance to better match them with the right support.”

Press Forward Chicago also launched a new grant and support program related to immigration news coverage. It gave grants to 11 local newsrooms to support increased coverage, and is also offering training and promotional support from Chicago Public Media, which will be managing a new immigration reporting hub. This is a ready-made solution for the chapter to take in the short term while developing the more complex shared services program.

2. Find partners with deep experience.

Most funders don’t have expertise or staff to manage a support program for newsrooms. That’s where partners come in: Consultants or journalism support organizations can help run the program, connect with publishers, and provide metrics to track success. For example, the Wichita Foundation and Press Forward Wichita partnered with LION Publishers to provide free Sustainability Audits for four local newsrooms.

“While this pilot did not include separate implementation grants, it was designed to help each organization build a clear, data-informed roadmap for what’s next,” said Courtney Bengtson, chief strategy officer at the Wichita Foundation. “We see this as the first step toward identifying where deeper or follow-on funding could have the most impact.” Bengston said she does recommend coupling the audits with funding to help publishers implement changes.

There’s also a movement toward solutions journalism, which doesn’t just focus on problems in the community, but on how people are trying to solve them. The Solutions Journalism Revenue Accelerators at the Solutions Journalism Network support 8 to 12 newsrooms in producing solutions journalism on the editorial side, while also coming up with associated revenues on the business side, such as sponsorships, memberships, or grants.

*A group photo of the second Solutions Journalism Revenue Accelerator. Photo courtesy of SJN*

SJN partnered with Blue Engine Collaborative to provide business expertise to grantees, and newsrooms can apply for up to $10,000 during the program for anything that helps the newsrooms move their projects forward: technology, marketing, design, events, and more. The program also helps keep newsrooms on track so the money is spent in a timely and relevant way.

“Even as someone who has already been doing (or trying to do) underwriting sales, I’ve learned so much in this program,” said one accelerator participant in a survey. “The focus on understanding and articulating your value, as well as the practical sales training and information, is increasing my confidence so much.”

3. Provide practical, timely support for newsrooms.

Once you’ve done your research and identified the right partner, next comes implementing the support program. While the shape, size, and cost of each program will vary, it’s important that each one provides the support newsrooms need with actionable insights.

“The audits help news providers understand where they’re strong, where they’re vulnerable, and how to focus their limited time and resources,” Bengston said. “The audit provides a roadmap that makes future investment more effective and long-lasting. For many, the process itself builds business skills and confidence that extend far beyond a single grant cycle.”

*The Public Media Bridge Fund plans to provide gap funding and other forms of support for public media stations, including advisory services.*

The Public Media Bridge Fund and Press Forward Chicago are both planning to create shared services for newsrooms, which will go beyond training and consulting and actually give newsrooms a fractional person to do the work. Public media organizations like Coast Alaska and Texas PBS already use shared services infrastructure, where multiple local stations receive operational and business support.

4. Balance programmatic support with newsrooms’ precious time.

With the proliferation of journalism support and training programs, newsrooms can be overwhelmed with the amount of time necessary to participate in them. That’s why finding a balance between helping publishers and overburdening them is important to gauge. The SJN Revenue Accelerator clarified up front how much time newsrooms would have to commit before joining it.

“We make the time commitment clear from the start, so potential participants can make an informed decision about whether to apply,” said Linda Shaw, who established the Revenue Accelerators at SJN. “Our goal is to guide and support them in work that is already a priority (or they have strong motivation to make it a top priority) — rather than ‘training’ for the sake of it or an obligation that doesn’t feel ripe.”

Final takeaways & next steps

Consider custom support, but keep costs in mind: The gold standard for newsroom support is a coach or consultant who tailors solutions specifically for that publisher. SJN’s Revenue Accelerator designs each element of the program to be directly applicable to participants’ goals. But that kind of custom support can be expensive, said Baim of Press Forward Chicago. “We are looking to show, through doing this work, that there is a return on investment, and then ramp off support over time.”

Set up check-ins with publishers to ensure accountability. Having goals and milestones are important in a program, but without follow-ups and check-ins, they can easily fall by the wayside. Regular one-on-one coaching is a big part of programs like accelerators from SJN the Local Media Association. While some publishers might find the check-in calls disruptive to their day-to-day work, others are thankful that someone is there to keep them on track. And with business accelerators, staying on track means setting newsrooms up for financial success and stability.

Split grant payments to publishers to get them to the finish line. Money can be another motivating factor to keep publishers engaged. For the LMA Local News Accelerator in New Mexico, it gave newsrooms about 60% of the grant money at the start of the program, and then gave them the rest when they filed their final report. This helps to keep publishers engaged in the process and focused on their goals — with a carrot at the end.

Be flexible if newsrooms experience shifts during the program. It’s nice for newsrooms to set up goals and have an outcome in mind at the start of the program. But many factors can change the dynamic over the course of the program, from staffers departing to market downturns. It’s good to allow publishers to pivot a couple times during a program so they are not tied to a goal or idea that might become less feasible. “We’re flexible when needed if teams experience staff turnover or other challenges, helping them adjust their approach, goals or timeline,” said SJN’s Shaw.