We’re thrilled to announce that we are one of the 26 newsrooms selected to participate in the @co.mediaproject #newsCOneeds matching challenge— a campaign that drives membership and contributions to homegrown, Colorado newsrooms (like us!).
More details to come on how readers like you can play a significant role in helping us earn up to $5,000 in matches from CMP for our newsroom, alongside other local newsrooms including:
@ArkValleyVoice
@aspenjournalism
@aspenradio
@theaurorasentinel
@ChalkbeatCO
@ColoradoFreedomofInformationCoalition
@ColoradoCommunityMedia
@TheColoradoSun
@crestoneeagle
@TheTodayCSUPueblo
@DenverNorthStar
@denverwestword
@watereducationCO
@KBUTCB
@KDNKRadio
@KGNUradio
@KSJDradio
@KSUTPublicRadio
@mtnear
@ouraynews
@pagosa.newspaper
@PublicNewsService
@ht.1885
@soprissun
RBC I Twenty-six Colorado newsrooms including the Herald Times are poised to collectively raise more than a quarter-million dollars to strengthen and sustain their coverage of local governments, businesses, schools and communities–but they need your help.
Colorado Media Project and the Colorado News Collaborative are excited to announce the list of local newsrooms participating in the 2021 #newsCOneeds year-end matching challenge. Between Nov. 30 (“Giving NewsDay”) and Dec. 31, 2021, each newsroom below can earn up to $5,000 from CMP, in a dollar-for-dollar match aimed at inspiring individual giving to support long-term sustainability of their public-service journalism–which informs and engages communities and strengthens civic engagement statewide. More details are here.
2021 is the fourth consecutive year that CMP is offering the matching grant challenge, which is modeled after the national NewsMatch campaign that helped nonprofit newsrooms across the country raise a record-breaking $47 million in 2020. This year’s #newsCOneeds challenge follows the successful 2020 state-level campaign, in which 24 CMP grantees collectively raised more than $578,000 in the month of December.
Colorado’s #newsCOneeds matching challenge is unique in the nation, in that any locally owned, locally operated Colorado news organization that is regularly publishing nonpartisan local news may apply — regardless of business model or distribution method. While newsrooms are encouraged to direct their readers or listeners to their own contribution pages, a campaign landing page (thisisnewsconeeds.com) provides a unifying message and a single-point for campaign contributions, which are split equally among the participating newsrooms.
Want to shout out your favorite story or newsroom? Newsrooms, advocates and members of the public are encouraged to use a common hashtag (#newsCOneeds) to spotlight some of the amazing journalism produced by local newsrooms in 2021, and to encourage others to give generously.
In addition to the grants, CMP will join COLab and News Revenue Hub in providing coaching, collateral and technical support to the following 26 members of the 2021 cohort:
The Rio Blanco Herald Times has been serving Meeker and Rangely communities in northwest Colorado since 1885, with local news not available anywhere else, and is excited to participate in this year’s challenge.
To learn more about the campaign or how to donate to the newsrooms participating in the 2021 #newsCOneeds matching challenge, visit the campaign landing page, www.thisisnewsconeeds.com.
