PROVIDENCE – Two local foundations that financially support nonprofits are launching a new chapter connected to a national organization to help reinforce journalism in Rhode Island.
The Rhode Island Foundation and Newport-based van Beuren Charitable Foundation jointly announced Thursday that Press Forward approved their application to form a Rhode Island chapter. The foundations describe Press Forward as a national initiative to strengthen democracy by revitalizing local news and information.
Supporting journalism is part of Rhode Island Foundation’s new five-year strategic plan that was spotlighted in
a Dec. 6, 2024, Providence Business News Q&A cover story featuring foundation CEO and President David N. Cicilline. The foundations’ goal is to cultivate civically engaged and well-informed communities across the state by “supporting diverse, reliable local news and information sources” in Rhode Island.
Cicilline on Friday told PBN the premise of investing in local journalism – and launching the Press Forward chapter – is that access to trustworthy, reliable local news is “central” to having a functioning, strong community. He also said most people are unaware of the ongoing diminishing newsrooms across the country, including in Rhode Island, and finding new business models to remain operational.
“One of the challenges for these nonprofit news organizations … is how do you generate content in a sustainable business model for you to pay reporters, writers and editors,” Cicilline said.
This initiative also builds on past journalism-supportive grantmaking done by the foundations. Foundation officials say that over the last five years, nearly $1 million in total discretionary grants have been distributed to several nonprofit news organizations.
Cicilline said various news outlets, such as “Ocean State Stories” at Salve Regina University – hosted by former Providence Journal reporter G. Wayne Miller – ecoRI News, East Greenwich News, RI News Today, The Rhode Island Current, The Providence Eye, and the Rhode Island PBS Foundation and The Public’s Radio, all previously received foundation funding.
“Press forward will really take this [cause] to another level,” Cicilline said. “There’s lots of work to do and lots of interest in making sure Rhode Islanders have access to trustworthy reliable news. This [new initiative] will allow us to invest in a way that makes a difference.”
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RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION CEO and President David N. Cicilline says the organization has provided more than $1 million in grants to several local news organizations over the last five years. He says the Rhode Island chapter of Press Forward will take that support to the next level. / PBN FILE PHOTO / MICHAEL SALERNO[/caption]
Press Forward nationally has invested more than $500 million in local journalism support initiatives with help from prominent funders, including the Carnegie Corp. of New York and the Ford Foundation. With Rhode Island coming online, Press Forward now has 34 chapters across the U.S., including in Vermont and Maine.
Elizabeth R. Lynn, van Beuren’s executive director, said in a statement that the organization is pleased to partner with Rhode Island Foundation to ensure the state has access to “relevant local news and information.”
The Press Forward local chapter’s work will be shaped by research and community input, Cicilline said. That research and input gathering to help Press Forward strategize and guide investments will take place “over the next few months,” Cicilline said, with a formal plan being finalized sometime this spring.
Cicilline said the foundations will talk with residents on how and where they consume news, and if they have “sufficient access” to reliable information. The research he says will also include talking with nonprofit and for-profit news groups on the industry’s current climate.
“We want to be sure what we put together responds to the challenges we see in Rhode Island,” Cicilline said, “and what will have the biggest impact in addressing those challenges.”
Ethan Shorey, president of the Rhode Island Press Association and chief editor at Lincoln-based Valley Breeze Newspapers, told PBN via email that RIPA’s members welcome this effort to bring needed attention and resources to local news outlets. He said the challenges news organizations face, whether for a longtime print outlet or digital startup, are “numerous and complex.”
Shorey also said RIPA’s members “would love” to work with the foundations to help shape the strategy and guide this initiative so it can hopefully reach its full potential.
“I look forward to getting a better understanding of what this initiative will entail, and I will be reaching out to learn more. Thank you to everyone involved for caring about and understanding the importance of local journalism to people’s lives,” he said.
Part of that support plan to be developed will include offering local journalism “additional resources,” potentially in the form of grants or fellowship programs, Cicilline said. Eligibility requirements for grants and fellowships, and other support methods for local journalism are to be vetted, he said. Also, any grants made via Press Forward’s local chapter will come from either the Rhode Island Foundation or van Beuren.
Cicilline did say it’s “hard to contemplate” that philanthropy will be a permanent funding source for most journalism organizations. But he feels it’s important for philanthropy to think hard about its role in supporting journalism as a means to create thriving communities.
Press Forward will focus on three areas. First, Press Forward will strengthen Rhode Island’s news ecosystem, which will lead to more “civically engaged Rhode Islanders” accessing trusted information, the foundations say.
Secondly, Press Forward will provide resources to innovate and test models ensuring communities can access information, while media entities develop “sustainable structures” to deliver the news. Finally, the foundations say Press Forward will support various journalists and news organizations to help fill information gaps, amplify “important” local news stories and improve both “community cohesion and government accountability” throughout Rhode Island.
Independent journalists, traditional nonprofit and for-profit news entities, and nontraditional and historically marginalized journalists will be backed by Press Forward. Cicilline said various for-profit organizations, such as PBN and The Providence Journal, will “still benefit from this work” because it may create new partnerships down the line.
The local chapter will become eligible for “an initial round of funding” from Press Forward’s national office for launching, Cicilline said, but didn’t offer specifics on much funding it will get. He also expects both Rhode Island Foundation and van Beuren will continue to further this work through its own financing, as well as raise money from the community.
“It’s about incubating this incredible opportunity and being sure we do all we can to support … local journalism,” Cicilline said.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on X at @James_Bessette.