UPDATE: The deadline to submit proposals has been moved one week to midnight Pacific Time on Tuesday, Dec. 8.
Los Angeles, Calif., October 27, 2015 — Nonprofit online news outlets and public media in the U.S. are invited to apply for the fourth round of the INNovation Fund grant program, announced Tuesday by the Institute for Nonprofit News.
This is the final round of a $1 million, two-year project supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, part of the Knight Local Media Initiative to help nonprofit news organizations establish long-term sustainability.
The INNovation Fund provides grants of up to $35,000 each for projects aimed at building the audience and revenue of nonprofit newsrooms. Recipients compete for the grants based on proposals developing new revenue sources, building audience engagement and exploring stronger business models.
“There’s tremendous energy among nonprofit news outlets today in developing new ways of serving their communities and supporting vital news coverage,” said Sue Cross, CEO and executive director of INN. “The INNovation Fund helps ensure the strongest and most creative ideas can be tried and results shared with public interest newsrooms around the country.”
Previous projects have helped nonprofit newsrooms develop events, radio programs, mobile apps and other ways to engage audiences and support public interest news.
"We are deeply appreciative to receive this funding for the creative ideas of INN members and other newsrooms," said Brant Houston, chair of INN's board. "We also thank Knight Foundation for its continuing support and confidence.”
The INNovation Fund homepage provides information about winning projects from the previous three rounds and links to the application form, budget proposal and FAQs.
Applications for Round 4 will be due at midnight Pacific time on Tuesday, Dec. 8. Applications are open to nonprofit online news outlets and public media in the United States using any digital or mobile platform.
About the Institute for Nonprofit News
The Institute for Nonprofit News (formerly the Investigative News Network) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to advancing excellence and sustainability in the nonprofit investigative and public service sector. INN was founded in 2009 to help public service news organizations produce and distribute stories with impact, achieve cost efficiencies by pooling resources and develop sustainable businesses. For more, visit www.INN.org or follow us on Twitter @INN.
About the Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. We believe that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.