The Nome Nugget is one of seven media outlets in Alaska Awarded Prestigious Press Forward Open Call on Closing Local Coverage Gaps Grants

ANCHORAGE – Seven Alaska news organizations have been selected as recipients of the inaugural Press Forward Open Call on Closing Local Coverage Gaps grants. Each of the Alaskan outlets will receive a $100,000 grant over two years as part of this program, providing crucial support to strengthen local journalism. The following Alaskan outlets were among the 205 organizations chosen from a competitive pool of 931 applicants nationwide:

• Alaska News Coalition
• Nome Nugget (Nome)
• KDLL Radio (Kenai)
• KCAW Raven Radio (Sitka)
• Copper River Record (Kenny Lake)
• KUCB Radio (Unalaska)
• Sol de Medianoche (Anchorage)

Press Forward is a national initiative driven by a coalition of philanthropic organizations working to revitalize and sustain local journalism. Its mission is to support independent reporting, strengthen democracy, foster community connection, and promote informed civic participation. Through its Pooled Fund, Press Forward aims to empower local news organizations across the country, especially in underserved regions, to continue providing essential journalism that reflects and serves their communities.

“These newsrooms are proof that we are seeing a moment of transformation, where new and longstanding are stepping up to create a new story for local news,” said Dale R. Anglin, Director, Press Forward. “Each newsroom plays a vital public service role in its community – providing trustworthy local news and information in places where no other sources may exist. Independent newsrooms need community support to survive. We hope that more people will subscribe and donate to them.”

As part of this effort, the inaugural Open Call on Closing Local Coverage Gaps program was launched to address the growing need for strong local journalism in areas where news coverage has diminished. Due to an overwhelming response—twice as many applications as anticipated—the total grant funding was doubled to $20 million. Of the 205 grantees selected, 58.5% are digital organizations, 29% are print outlets, 7% are
radio stations, 3.5% are digital-only newsletters, 1.5% are broadcast TV stations, and 0.5% fall into the “Other” category.

The Alaska recipients of the open call grants have each demonstrated their commitment to serving local communities through high-quality journalism that informs and empowers residents. Whether it’s covering city council meetings, issues impacting remote communities, or reaching Spanish-speaking residents in the state, these organizations are integral to ensuring that Alaskans have access to the information they need.

"Sol de Medianoche is thrilled to receive this recognition and support,” wrote Lina Mariscal, publisher of the Anchorage-based Spanish-language newspaper. “Over the last few years, we have been slowly raising awareness of the importance of language access and creating a bridge between Alaska's Latino community and the broader state. This grant motivates us to continue moving forward. We are definitely ready to
collaborate with the rest of the Alaskan grantees to continue strengthening the importance of local news and help understand what is at stake for us all."

Alaska’s representation among the grantees demonstrates Alaskans’ high level of dedication to continuing strong, accurate news coverage of the issues that matter to Alaskans most, and making sure those news sources are successful into the future.

"The Alaska News Coalition was formed this summer as a statewide nonprofit dedicated to finding shared solutions to improve the finances and long-term viability of news organizations across Alaska, particularly newspapers that are so essential to their communities -- especially papers in smaller towns,” said Larry Persily of the Alaska News Coalition. “The Press Forward grant will help immensely as the coalition embarks
on its initial efforts, working to bring news organizations together in a common effort and assisting newspapers as they move more deeply into the digital world.”

Press Forward grantees represent a wide variety of media across the nation. Alaska, with its robust radio network and rural communities’ reliance on radio for news and programming, accounts for one-fifth of all the nationwide radio grantees.

“We know you rely on KCAW for local news,” Raven Radio of Sitka wrote in a social media post to its followers, "and this grant will help grow our capacity to dive into the stories that matter most to Sitka and Southeast.”

The recipient newsrooms are in some of the farthest communities in the state, from Nome to Unalaska, the Kenai Peninsula and Southeast, and even into the vast Copper River drainage, where The Copper River Record publishes.

“We’re excited to spend the next two years with renewed focus on being the best paper we can be,” the newspaper wrote in a statement. “We hope to invest in strengthening our relationships, our staff, and our business for the future.”

Press Forward’s next national open call will open in November, providing opportunities for Local News Infrastructure.

 

The Nome Nugget

PO Box 610
Nome, Alaska 99762
USA

Phone: (907) 443-5235
Fax: (907) 443-5112

www.nomenugget.net

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