Local News Initiative of Southern Arizona Grants

Eligibility Requirements

Local news organizations, journalists, and local news and information providers committed to informing the people of Southern Arizona with quality community news and information and shining a light or informing the public about issues of local concern may apply. If a previous grantee, the organization must be current in all grant reporting to CFSA.

• Geography: Applicants must be located in OR lead projects that increase news coverage and demonstrate charitable benefit to the community in the Southern Arizona region (defined as Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, and Yuma counties – south of the Gila River).
• Alignment with Initiative Goals: Proposals must be in alignment with the goals of the Local News Initiative of Southern Arizona.
• Organization Types: Applicants from nonprofit news organizations, for-profit news organizations, and independent community news providers are invited to apply.
• Support Types:
  • Nonprofit news organizations will be eligible for operating support.
  • Proposals from for-profit news entities will be considered for project-based support that demonstrates charitable benefit to the community.
• Formats: Varied news formats and media distribution channels that are eligible for consideration, from broadcast to print to digital to SMS to social media.

Grantmaking Priority

Preference will be given to applications that demonstrate:

• Commitment and investment in the Southern Arizona community.
• 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 widely.
• Commitment to producing accurate, evidence-based, and verified information that is required to function in a free society.
• The capacity to produce and deliver news and information that community members need.

Not Eligible

• Organizations that have no affiliation with a newsroom 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.

Other Information

• Requests for grants may range from $25,000 to $75,000.
• Grant dollars may be applied to support new positions, expand the capacity of existing positions, or support existing positions added within the last year.
• Nonprofit applicants can request operating support.
• Grant periods are for one year in duration.
• Awards must align with CFSA’s Grantmaking Principles and Diversity Policy.
• Recommendations to CFSA and the initiative’s advisory committee for consideration will be made by a community advi

The next applications will open in spring 2025!

All applications must be submitted through an online process with Common Grant Application. We strongly encourage you to review the tutorial video, which contains important information on how to register/log in and submit an application.  To view the video: click here.

• First-time users of the Common Grant Application, click here to register for an account.
• If you have already applied for a grant using the Common Grant Application, you should have an account. Returning users click here.

• Arizona Luminaria
• KAWC
• Nogales International
• Patagonia Regional Times
• Tucson Agenda
• Tucson Sentinel