Press Forward is a philanthropic coalition of over 20 funders seeking to invest over half a billion dollars into local journalism in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

over the course of five years. It was announced by the

MacArthur Foundation The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private foundation that makes grants and impact investments to support non-profit organizations in approximately 117 countries around the world. It has an endowment of $7.6 billion and ...

in 2023 with grant disbursements planned starting in 2024. As of March 2024, Press Forward has been directed by Dale Anglin. Press Forward's four priorities are bolstering local newsrooms, increasing news production and dissemination, addressing inequalities in journalism, and expanding local news through public policy. Since its creation, Press Forward has raised more than half a billion dollars, started over 20 regional Press Forward chapters, and funded hundreds of local news organizations.

History

2023

In September, Press Forward was announced by the MacArthur Foundation as an initiative to disburse over half a billion dollars, over the course of five years, to support local journalism in the United States. Over twenty organizations, such as the

Knight Foundation The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, also known as the Knight Foundation, is an American non-profit foundation that provides grants for journalism, communities, and the arts. The organization was founded as the Knight Memorial Education ...

and the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...

, were named as participants. In November, Press Forward announced Press Forward Locals, or regional chapters of Press Forward across the country. Many chapters would be led by existing organizations in their area. In December, the MacArthur Foundation provided $48 million in grants to support Press Forward. It also launched the Local News Program to reshape its grantmaking strategy in line with Press Forward by providing grants directly to local news organizations.

2024

In February, Dale R. Anglin was announced as the inaugural director of the $500 million Press Forward initiative. She began her duties on March 11 of that year. In April, Press Forward announced its first-ever open call for funding with a specific focus on providing funds to local newsrooms in underserved communities. Press Forward funders at 2025 Knight Media Forum

Press Forward funders at 2025 Knight Media Forum

In July, the Knight Foundation pledged $7 million, toward the Press Forward initiative, to bolster local news in

swing states In United States politics, a swing state (also known as battleground state, toss-up state, or purple state) is any state that could reasonably be won by either the Democratic or Republican candidate in a statewide election, most often refe ...

due to concerns about the lack of access to quality information during election cycles. In October, Press Forward announced that 205 local news organizations would receive a share of $20 million, roughly around $100,000 per recipient. Recipients included Alaska News Coalition, ''

Black Voice News Black Voice News is the first Black American online news publication on the West Coast of the United States. Founded in 1972 as a print newspaper, it was still active (as of 2020) and had moved to online publication.The Press Enterprise, "BLACK ...

'', ''Grice Connect'', MediaLab@FAU, ''Mshale'', ''The Mesquite'' at

Texas A&M University–San Antonio Texas A&M University–San Antonio is a public university in San Antonio, Texas, United States. It is part of the Texas A&M University System. The university was established on May 23, 2009, and held its first classes as a stand-alone university ...

, ''QCity Metro'', among others. At least one organization in each state, and two U.S. territories, was awarded. The same month, the Knight Foundation pledged $15 million in eight cities. In December, the MacArthur Foundation committed another $20 million, through its Local News Program, to further support Press Forward initiatives.

Critical reception

Immediately after the announcement of Press Forward, over 120

public media Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive f ...

organizations endorsed a paper calling upon public media to be included in its funding decisions. Similarly, the

Maynard Institute for Journalism Education The Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education (MIJE) is an American non-profit organization that trains journalists to become investigative journalists, editors, newspaper managers, and media entrepreneurs. The organization seeks to ...

published an open letter demanding that Press Forward specifically support underrepresented voices in local news. Many organizations signed the letter including the

National Association of Black Journalists The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is a 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational and professional organization of African Americans, African American journalists, students, and media professionals. Founded in 197 ...

, the

Asian American Journalists Association The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational and professional organization based in Washington, D.C., with more than 1,500 members and 21 chapters across the United States and Asia. The current president is ...

, the

Indigenous Journalists Association The Indigenous Journalists Association is an organization dedicated to supporting Native Americans and other Indigenous peoples in journalism. The organization hosts the annual National Native Media Awards. The organization was founded as the N ...

, the

National Association of Hispanic Journalists The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) is a Washington, D.C.–based organization dedicated to the advancement of Hispanic and Latino journalists in the United States and Puerto Rico. It was established in 1984. NAHJ has appr ...

, the

Online News Association The Online News Association (ONA), founded in 1999, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization of digital journalists headquartered in Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., United States. The founding members first convened in December 1999 in Chicago. ...

, and OpenNews, among others. Black-led news organizations, in particular, demanded "structural change" rather than "lip service," as well as even more money raised to support local newsrooms. In November of 2023, a webinar was hosted by the Maynard Institute for Journalism and Education and Borealis Philanthropy to allow journalists of color to speak with leaders involved in Press Forward such as MacArthur Foundation president

John Palfrey John Gorham Palfrey VII (born 1972) is an American educator, scholar, and law professor. His areas of focus include emerging media, Internet censorship, Internet freedom, online Transparency (social), transparency and accountability, and child sa ...

Controversies

Following its first open call, Press Forward funded '' St. Louis Argus'', a local publication that had historically stolen reportage from other news outlets in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

. Press Forward then put a "pause" on its $100,000 grant to the newspaper in order to investigate allegations of plagiarism.

Partners

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is an American philanthropic nonprofit organization. It was established in 1934 by Alfred P. Sloan Jr., president and chief executive officer of General Motors. The Sloan Foundation makes grants to support origina ...

* Archewell Foundation *

Carnegie Corporation of New York The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Since its founding, the Carnegie Corporation has endowed or othe ...

* Community Foundation of the Land of Lincoln *

Democracy Fund The Democracy Fund is a charitable foundation created by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar Pierre Morad Omidyar (born Parviz Morad Omidyar, June 21, 1967) is a French-born Iranian-American billionaire and the grandson of General Mahmud Mir-Dja ...

* Ford Foundation * Glen Nelson Center at American Public Media Group * Knight Foundation * Heising-Simons Foundation * Henry Luce Foundation *

Joyce Foundation The Joyce Foundation is a non-operating private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. As of 2025, it had assets of approximately $1.24 billion. Former U.S. President Barack Obama served on the foundation's board of directors from 1994 through ...

* KFF * Lenfest Institute for Journalism *

Lumina Foundation Lumina Foundation is a private, Indianapolis-based foundation with about $1.4 billion in assets. Since its founding in August 2000, Lumina has made grants totaling more than $250 million. History Lumina Foundation is a conversion foundation crea ...

* MacArthur Foundation * Mary Graham *

McKnight Foundation The McKnight Foundation is an American Minnesota-based family foundation. Established in 1953, the McKnight Foundation maintains a $2.5 billion endowment, which it distributes in grants. In 2022, the foundation issued $120 million, supporting Min ...

* Outrider Foundation * Rita Allen Foundation *

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is an American philanthropic organization. It is the largest one focused solely on health. Based in Princeton, New Jersey, the foundation focuses on access to health care, public health, health equity, ...

* Skyline Foundation * Steinman Institute *

William and Flora Hewlett Foundation The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, commonly known as the Hewlett Foundation, is a private foundation, established by Hewlett-Packard cofounder William Redington Hewlett and his wife Flora Lamson Hewlett in 1966. The Hewlett Foundation a ...

References

{{reflist Philanthropic organizations based in the United States Organizations established in 2023 Organizations based in Florida