Press Forward is an initiative launched in September 2023 to revitalize local news outlets across the United States through $500 million in grants made over the next five years. It is a fiscally sponsored project of the Miami Foundation which will hire the initiative’s staff and maintain the central fund. Press Forward’s funding comes from 22 organizations, including numerous major left-of-center grantmakers like the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and the Ford Foundation.

MacArthur Foundation president John Palfrey has said that Press Forward a means of strengthening “American democracy” by developing the knowledge of American voters. ¹

Activities

According to Press Forward, there is “a crisis in news and information” due to the widespread closure of local news outlets across the United States. Since 2005, 2,200 local newspapers have shut down. Press Forward claims that these closures resulted in “fading civic engagement, eroding social bonds, surging misinformation, and dwindling governmental accountability.” ^{2 3}

To combat this problem, Press Forward was launched to inject $500 million in grants into local newsrooms over a five-year period. In addition to supporting the operations and expansions of these outlets, the grants will attempt to “close longstanding inequalities in journalism” by increasing “the availability of accurate and responsive news and information in historically underserved communities and economically challenged news deserts.” ⁴ Press Forward’s website lists “equity and diversity of thought” as part of “Our Vision.” ⁵

Press Forward’s “journalism initiative” will fund specific journalists and journalistic projects. ⁶

Press Forward will also advocate for political policy changes designed to support local news outlets, like making local news subscriptions tax deductible. ⁷

Press Forward will be assisted in its grantmaking process by More Perfect, a “bipartisan” initiative to increase civic awareness. ⁸

Press Forward is scheduled to make a few grants by the end of 2023 and to launch its formal grant program in 2024. ^{9 10}

Funding

Press Forward is a fiscally sponsored project of the Miami Foundation, which will hire staff and run Press Forward’s fund. Miami Foundation President Rebecca Fishman Lipsey called Press Forward “one of the most important philanthropic collaborations of our generation.” ^{11 12}

At its launch, the largest funder of Press Forward is the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation ($175 million) followed by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation ($150 million). ¹³

Donors can either give to the pooled fund managed by the Miami Foundation or make grants directly to local news outlets through Press Forward. ¹⁴

Press Forward has 22 funders in total, ^{15 16} including Archewell, the Democracy Fund, the Ford Foundation, the Heising-Simons Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, the Lumina Foundation for Education, the McKnight Foundation, the Rita Allen Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ¹⁷ The Carnegie Corporation of New York announced a $5 million donation on September 8, 2023. ¹⁸

Press Forward is continuing to invite additional funders. ¹⁹ The initiative’s long-term goal is to raise $1 billion. ²⁰

1. Fu, Angela. “Coalition announces $500 Million fund to support local news.” Poynter. Accessed September 9, 2023. https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2023/when-is-it-appropriate-for-a-journalist-to-get-involved-in-a-story/.
2. “Why Press Forward.” Press Forward. Accessed September 9, 2023. https://www.pressforward.news/#coalition.
3. “Press Forward Will Award More Than $500 Million to Revitalize Local News.” MacArthur Foundation. September 7, 2023. Accessed September 9, 2023. https://www.macfound.org/press/press-releases/press-forward-will-award-more-than-500-million-to-revitalize-local-news
4. “Press Forward Will Award More Than $500 Million to Revitalize Local News.” MacArthur Foundation. September 7, 2023. Accessed September 9, 2023. https://www.macfound.org/press/press-releases/press-forward-will-award-more-than-500-million-to-revitalize-local-news.
5. “Our Vision.” Press Forward. Accessed September 9, 2023. https://www.pressforward.news/#coalition.
6. Eule, Brian. “Multi-Donor Initiative to Award More than $500 Million to Revitalize Local News.” Heising-Simons Foundation. September 7, 2023. Accessed September 9, 2023. https://www.hsfoundation.org/news-stories/multi-donor-initiative-to-award-more-than-500-million-to-revitalize-local-news/./
7. Daniels, Alex. “Can Local News Heal a Divided Country? 22 Foundations Are Betting $500 Million It Can Help.” Philanthropy. September 7, 2023. Accessed September 9, 2023. https://www.philanthropy.com/article/can-local-news-heal-a-divided-country-22-foundations-are-betting-500-million-it-can-help.
8. “Press Forward Will Award More Than $500 Million to Revitalize Local News.” MacArthur Foundation. September 7, 2023. Accessed September 9, 2023. https://www.macfound.org/press/press-releases/press-forward-will-award-more-than-500-million-to-revitalize-local-news.
9. “Press Forward Will Award More Than $500 Million to Revitalize Local News.” MacArthur Foundation. September 7, 2023. Accessed September 9, 2023. https://www.macfound.org/press/press-releases/press-forward-will-award-more-than-500-million-to-revitalize-local-news.
10. Eule, Brian. “Multi-Donor Initiative to Award More than $500 Million to Revitalize Local News.” Heising-Simons Foundation. September 7, 2023. Accessed September 9, 2023. https://www.hsfoundation.org/news-stories/multi-donor-initiative-to-award-more-than-500-million-to-revitalize-local-news/.
11. Fischer, Sara. “New group pledges over $500M to support local journalism.” Axios. September 7, 2023. Accessed September 9, 2023. https://www.axios.com/2023/09/07/press-forward-launch-save-local-journalism.
12. “Foundations in Miami and U.S. are putting up $500 million to boost local news.” Yahoo! September 7, 2023. Accessed September 9, 2023. https://news.yahoo.com/more-local-news-readers-gets-143000917.html.
13. Fischer, Sara. “New group pledges over $500M to support local journalism.” Axios. September 7, 2023. Accessed September 9, 2023. https://www.axios.com/2023/09/07/press-forward-launch-save-local-journalism.
14. “Are You a Funder?” Press Forward. Accessed September 9, 2023. https://www.pressforward.news/#get-involved.
15. “Carnegie joins coalition to bolster struggling local news outlets.” The Free Speech Center. September 8, 2023. Accessed September 9, 2023. https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/post/4584/carnegie-joins-coalition-to-bolster-struggling-local-news-outlets.
16.  “Press Forward Will Award More Than $500 Million to Revitalize Local News.” MacArthur Foundation. September 7, 2023. Accessed September 9, 2023. https://www.macfound.org/press/press-releases/press-forward-will-award-more-than-500-million-to-revitalize-local-news.
17. “We’re building informed and engaged communities. Join us.” Press Forward. Accessed September 9, 2023. https://www.pressforward.news/#coalition.
18. ^[1] “Carnegie joins coalition to bolster struggling local news outlets.” The Free Speech Center. September 8, 2023. Accessed September 9, 2023. https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/post/4584/carnegie-joins-coalition-to-bolster-struggling-local-news-outlets.
19. Fischer, Sara. “New group pledges over $500M to support local journalism.” Axios. September 7, 2023. Accessed September 9, 2023. https://www.axios.com/2023/09/07/press-forward-launch-save-local-journalism.
20. Karr, Timothy. “Major Philanthropies Announce Press Forward: A $500-Million Investment in the Future of Local News and Civic Information.” Free Press. September 7, 2023. Accessed September 9, 2023. https://www.freepress.net/news/press-releases/major-philanthropies-announce-press-forward-500-million-investment-local-news.