The rescission of federal funding for public media has created significant risk for mid-sized public radio stations that are critical to local civic information but are not the focus of current emergency relief efforts. This initiative will support a cohort of mid-sized stations as they pursue digital-first transformation and expand their role as primary local news providers in their communities.
Over a 3-year period, the American Journalism Project, in partnership with the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, will conduct a selective, two-stage sourcing and review process; support participating stations through a structured design and planning phase; provide multi-year transformation grants; and offer ongoing strategic support as organizations implement their plans.
The initiative will focus on strengthening editorial capacity, digital product strategy, audience development, and revenue durability. By the end of the grant period, participating stations are expected to demonstrate increased investment in local journalism and more durable, resilient revenue models capable of sustaining expanded reporting capacity. The initiative will also generate actionable learning about the conditions under which mid-sized public media organizations can successfully expand local journalism capacity.