When Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina in fall 2024, Report for America (RFA) corps member Gerard Albert III provided life-saving coverage while living through the crisis himself, demonstrating the power of local journalism in moments of need. Yet across the U.S., this reporting is vanishing: more than half of counties have little or no access to local news, and recent cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting are devastating public media stations. RFA will strengthen and expand its Public Media initiative. The project will support the current cohort of 30 public media corps members journalists providing critical coverage in communities across the country, while also recruiting and expanding the next cohort to meet rising demand. At the same time, the grantee will work directly with local newsrooms to build long-term resilience through fundraising tools, coaching, and an Accelerator Program, ensuring that these positions are sustained well beyond initial support. Together, these efforts will preserve essential reporting today, expand coverage in underserved communities, and create a healthier, more sustainable ecosystem for public media and local journalism.