32 Organizations Receive Accelerator Alumni Grants Totaling $700,000

The Facebook Journalism Project is investing $700,000 in grants to 32 alumni of its global Accelerator program to support continuing digital transformation initiatives.

This financial support, ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 USD per publisher, will help news organizations expand their businesses, build on nascent newsletter strategies, keep their paying supporters, launch new products and a host of other initiatives we’ll be excited to share after the program’s conclusion in October.

Just over half of the Accelerator’s 118 eligible alumni publishers filed applications. From those applications, here are a few key themes that may be of interest to other publishers and funders of newsroom innovation.

About 40 percent of the Alumni Accelerator Grant investment is going to organizations that will be expanding into new markets, growing successful products, and generally enhancing their impact by reaching new audiences through paid marketing. We see a strong sense of optimism among digitally native companies, particularly, that opportunities for growth abound.

"Colorado is a large, diverse state, and The Colorado Sun strives to shine light far beyond Denver, Boulder and other urban areas," Sun editor Larry Ryckman said. "There are rich stories to be told -- and audiences to be served -- from the plains to the mountains, from the farms in southern Colorado to the back trails of the Western Slope. We're investing in a campaign to highlight hyperlocal news coverage around our state."

There are several standout applications of this type including:

The creativity and energy from local news publishers around the world is inspirational. Below are a few ideas for new initiatives that could be used by other newsrooms.

“For local news publishers like us, this [project] is pivotal as we’re best at what we do—providing local coverage, with local angles, for locals, by locals,” said Katie Mercer, director of social media at Glacier. “There’s no reason why that same mission statement can’t apply to affiliate content, too.”

Alumni grant applications were reviewed by Facebook and Blue Engine Collaborative, a consortium of mission-driven consultants and advisors focused on driving digital audience growth and revenue. Led by CEO Tim Griggs, the Blue Engine team coaches all of the Accelerator’s reader revenue programs. The grants are administered by the International Center for Journalists.

“These grants give a boost to news publishers who are well positioned to use the investments to strengthen their bottom lines and better serve their communities,” said Johanna Carrillo, ICFJ’s vice president of programs. “Because they are alumni of the Accelerator program, they have the skills and knowledge to hit the ground running.”

A full list of the recipients and their grants are below. Half of the grant recipients are in the US, 20 percent hail from Australia or New Zealand, and another 20 percent are based in Canada. Three of the recipients are from Brazil and there is one recipient in Argentina, Austria and Germany, respectively.