Local News Initiative Grants
Local News Initiative grants are designed to help strengthen our community by supporting news organizations in Southern Arizona that are building long-term sustainability and deep understanding of the communities they serve, collaborating with others in the local news ecosystem, and expanding access to accurate news and civic information for communities across Southern Arizona.
Strong applicants will be able to describe their current work and growth, the evidence or metrics they use to assess progress, and how grant support would help them strengthen or implement strategies in areas such as funding and revenue creation, audience engagement, sustainable staffing and operations, editorial quality, collaboration, and service to communities that are not otherwise adequately served.
Applicants do not need to be equally strong in every area, but they should be clear about their starting point, their goals, and how grant funding would move them toward greater sustainability, community service, and impact.
Grants will be awarded at a total amount between $60,000 and $80,000, and distributed in two equal annual installments (e.g., $30,000 in Year 1 and $30,000 in Year 2). This multi-year funding reflects our commitment to trust-based philanthropy by providing grantee partners with greater stability and flexibility to advance their work.
Important Dates
September 16, 2026 – Application Open
October 16, 2026 – Application Due (5:00pm Arizona time.)
November 11, 2026 – Award Notifications
November 20, 2026 – Grants Funded
Application Criteria
Eligibility Requirements
Local news organizations, headquartered in Southern Arizona committed to informing the people of Southern Arizona with quality community news and information and who can demonstrate they follow the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics may apply. If a previous grantee, the organization must be current in all grant reporting to CFSA.
- Geography: Applicants must be headquartered in Southern Arizona (defined as south of the Gila River AND in Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, or Yuma counties).
- Alignment with Initiative Goals: Proposals must be in alignment with the goals of the Local News Initiative of Southern Arizona: to increase enduring and sustainable local news coverage that is fair, accurate, and accessible, ensuring that everyone in Southern Arizona gets the news they deserve in the ways they want and need
- Organization Types: Nonprofit news outlets that are qualified 501c3 organizations or have a 501c3 fiscal sponsor are invited to apply.
- Support Type:
- Selected grantees will receive unrestricted, flexible funds.
- Grants will be two-year awards.
- Formats: Varied news formats and media distribution channels that are eligible for consideration, from broadcast to print to digital to SMS to social media.
Preferences
Preference will be given to applications that demonstrate:
- A long-term sustainability plan that includes diverse revenue sources and steps for strengthening long-term sustainability.
- Engagement strategies to reach traditionally underrepresented communities.
- Commitment to the highest ethical and quality standards with a clear plan to publish and distribute their work.
- Commitment to producing accurate, evidence-based, and verified information.
- The capacity to produce and deliver news and information that community members need.
Not Eligible
- Organizations that are not headquartered in Southern Arizona.
- Organizations with no plans to publish or distribute their work in Southern Arizona.
- Individuals and freelancers are not eligible.
- Applicants whose work is primarily targeted for national audiences outside of Southern Arizona.
- Projects proposed by newsrooms owned by large corporations or investment firms that may have greater access to institutional support.
Grant Guidelines
- Awards will be for two-year grants that range from $30,000 to $40,000 per year.
- Grant periods are for two years in duration, with an interim report due between month 11 and 12 to initiate the second-year grant’s processing.
- Recommendations to CFSA and the initiative’s advisory committee will be made by a community advisory panel that will be made up of volunteers and local and national journalism experts.
- Awards made by CFSA’s various grant committees support organizations that comply with applicable federal and state laws and do not discriminate in employment practices, volunteer opportunities, or delivery of programs and services based on race, religion, gender, or gender identity (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender individual), gender expression, sexual orientation, age, ancestry, citizenship, ethnicity, familial status, socioeconomic status (economic circumstances), color, creed, sex (including pregnancy), phases of parenthood, national origin, marital status, veteran status (past, current, or prospective service in the armed forces), genetic information, physical characteristics or appearance, mental or physical disability, or any other status prohibited by applicable law.
How to Apply
All applicants must create an account in our grant portal before applying. Here is the link to or grant portal: https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=cfsaz
To view a tutorial video on how to submit an application using this platform please click here.