Eleven local newspapers from across the United States will receive grant funding through The Lenfest Institute’s Beyond Print program, the Institute has announced. The funding, which totals $400,000, supports independent local newspapers in reducing reliance on print, growing digital revenue, embracing new distribution platforms and reaching new and younger audiences.
Spanning the country from Sitka, Alaska to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the 11 newspapers were selected from a pool of more than 160 applicants and cover a broad spectrum of the U.S. media landscape, including both rural and metro communities, multicultural media, and both nonprofit and for-profit businesses.
A full list of publications and their experiments can be found here.
Launched in 2022, The Lenfest Institute’s Beyond Print program has served hundreds of independent local newspapers through grants, convening and the Beyond Print Toolkit, which provides comprehensive on-demand guidance on transitioning from print to digital.
The results of the 11 experiments will be used to inform the Toolkit, which will be expanded to include guidance on the use of next-generation distribution platforms and news creator partnerships.
In addition to grant funding, the Institute will provide a broad array of advisory services including a new Beyond Print Community of Practice, created in partnership with Blue Engine Collaborative. The community’s programming will be open to all independent newspapers and will be based on their needs. The Institute will also host in-person convenings at the America’s Newspapers Mega-Conference and Senior Leadership Conference to report on the progress and results in newspaper business transformation.
