The AP Fund for Journalism has announced a new pilot program to support nearly 50 nonprofit news organizations, including The Maine Monitor.
This new program builds upon a collaboration between the Associated Press and The Monitor announced in August 2024 that enhances the content The Monitor can offer its readers and broadens the reach of The Monitor’s reporting.
The pilot program marks the first such project for the AP Fund for Journalism, the charitable organization created by the Associated Press in 2024 to support public service journalism and make it accessible to state and local news organizations in the U.S.
“Fact-based, independent journalism is the backbone of engaged communities and informed civic discourse. Local newsrooms are on the frontlines telling the stories that matter most to their audiences, yet often they lack the resources to do so effectively,” said the fund’s CEO Rachel White. “This pilot program is a critical first step in our mission to close that gap, ensuring that state and local newsrooms have the tools they need to keep the public informed on stories and issues that wouldn’t otherwise receive coverage.”
Through the pilot program, which is supported by the Google News Initiative, participating newsrooms will receive a selection of AP text, video and photo content and access to editorial tools and training to further support their newsgathering work.
Participating newsrooms include Arizona Luminaria; Bridge Michigan; Broadband Breakfast; Brown Impact Media Group (Flint Beat and Black Like Us), Bucks County Beacon; Cityside Journalism Initiative (Berkeleyside, Richmondside, The Oaklandside); Conecta Arizona; Enlace Latino NC; Eye on Dunn County; Honolulu Civil Beat; InvestigateWest; Jacksonville Today; Local News Now (ARLnow.com, ALXnow.com, FFXnow.com and PoPville.com); Local News Matters (The Mendocino Voice and Bay City News); MinnPost; Mirror Indy; Mississippi Free Press; Mississippi Today; Mongabay; Mountain State Spotlight; Now Habersham; Outlier Media; Planet Detroit; PublicSource; Racine County Eye; Sahan Journal; San José Spotlight; South Dakota News Watch; Spotlight Delaware; Spotlight PA; StateCollege.com; The Chronicle (Duke University); The Daily Catch; The Connecticut Mirror, The Daily Yonder; The Haitian Times; The Highlands Current; The Land; The Maine Monitor; The Nevada Independent; The Reporting Project; VernonReporter; and VTDigger.
