We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the Lenfest Expert Network, a free service connecting local news orgs with consultants who provide hands-on support to strengthen sustainability, audience engagement, and digital transformation. Learn more about how to join:

As year-end giving season approaches, now is the time to inspire deeper support for local journalism. Join the Lenfest News Philanthropy Network for a workshop this Thursday, Nov. 6 at 2 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. PST to learn about a new messaging toolkit for local news created by Press Forward.

Is your local news organization looking to reduce its reliance on its print product? Apply now for Beyond Print grants, which support experiments in accelerating digital sustainability. Applications are open now through Nov. 17:

Artificial intelligence is reshaping journalism — but how can you use it responsibly and effectively in your daily work? Join us in Philadelphia on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 5:30 p.m. EST for a free, hands-on, in-person workshop designed specifically for journalists, editors, and audience professionals.

Creator journalists are becoming essential components of local news ecosystems. But how can news funders determine which creators are credible sources of local news and worthy of investing in? The Creator Journalism Trust and Credibility Toolkit is here to help.

Save the date: The Lenfest News Philanthropy Summit is returning in 2026! Join The Lenfest Institute, Press Forward, and hundreds of local news fundraising professionals from around the world from May 18–20, 2026 in Philadelphia 💸💡🤝

Independent local newspapers: Apply now for Beyond Print grants, which support experiments to reduce reliance on print, accelerate digital sustainability, embrace new distribution platforms, and reach new and younger audiences.

Michael Days, a pillar of Philadelphia journalism who championed young Black journalists and was beloved among reporters who worked for him at the Philadelphia Daily News and Philadelphia Inquirer, died suddenly on Saturday at the age of 72 in Trenton.

The Lenfest Institute congratulates former Lenfest Institute Board member and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, investigative journalist, and editor Amanda Bennett, who received the 2025 Freedom of the Press Career Achievement Award from @rcfp.org last night in New York City.

If you're in Philadelphia this week, don't miss “Free Speech at the Crossroads: A Keystone Dialogue," taking place Oct. 15-16 at Temple University. Georgetown University’s Free Speech Project will explore the state of free speech in America alongside public officials, scholars, & journalists.

As part of the Lenfest AI Collaborative and Fellowship Program, in partnership with OpenAI and Microsoft, the fellows have already tested and launched several AI tools that help employees streamline their workflows — and now, they’re sharing their code for your newsroom to learn from, too.

"Keep up with your people. Celebrate their wins. Be there for them when life happens. Make an effort to see them when you’re in their town, or they’re in yours. Ask for help when you need it, and offer help when you can give it." Meena knows what is up.

The Lenfest News Philanthropy Network is hosting a workshop on Oct. 16 at 2:30 p.m. EDT / 11:30 a.m. PDT featuring @chronphilanthropy.bsky.social. Learn insights from the broader philanthropic field — including details on donor trends, tax laws, and more — and how you can apply them to local news.

“Yes, journalism is a craft. Yes, it’s a business. But more than anything, it’s a people practice.” Meena Thiruvengadam, our Lenfest Audience Community facilitator, shared how connection and community were top-of-mind at #ONA25 earlier this month 👇

Two weeks to go! Conference updates: • Expanding to address the accelerating challenges • Group discounts and individual support available • Complete agenda, conference faculty and more Info and tickets: PCGVR.org

Service-oriented journalism can help provide deeper impact data and ensure your reporting is relevant. But how can we adopt this approach when so many systems in our industry are resistant to change? Madison Karas & @pboehler.net explored this idea through workshops and one-on-one sessions 👇

Update from #ONA25: The inaugural Project C Creator Cohort is on the ground in New Orleans! We partnered with Project C and @journalists.org to bring 10 independent journalists to this year's conference to learn, network, and represent the growing field of creator journalism.

Attending #ONA25? Join us this afternoon for a panel with fellows from the Lenfest AI Collaborative & Fellowship Program, in partnership with OpenAI & Microsoft. Stop by Empire CD at 4 p.m. for working demos, lessons on development and rollout, and open-source code you can use in your own newsroom.

There’s no time like the present to get serious about digital transformation, and the Beyond Print Diagnostic is here to help. Take the free survey to assess where you are in your journey and receive personalized recommendations and resources straight from the Beyond Print Toolkit 📊📰

Hiring for an AI role but not sure what to look for? As part of the Lenfest AI Collaborative & Fellowship Program in partnership with OpenAI and Microsoft, we pulled together a practical guide to help local news organizations take the guesswork out of building AI capacity 🤖🤝💡

What happens when you bring together recent journalism graduates, local publishers in need of new talent, and a local funder with connections across the news ecosystem? In New Mexico, it led to the New Mexico Local News Fellowship and Internship Program, which launched in 2019.

“Supporting your local newsroom should feel no more complicated than checking out at your neighborhood store — tap your card, get your goods, walk away knowing you contributed to something essential.” How the Syndex team is developing tools with a human touch to encourage giving 👇

“Supporting PJC’s involvement in the Economic Opportunity Lab will lift the voices and perspectives of Philadelphians in this national conversation on solutions to improving economic mobility,” said Shawn Mooring, The Lenfest Institute’s head of Philadelphia Programs

The Philadelphia Journalism Collaborative, which is housed at the Center for Community-Engaged Media at ‪@tukleincollege.bsky.social‬, is launching the project as part of the 2025-2026 Economic Opportunity Lab, a national journalism effort led by the Local Media Association and Comcast.

The Lenfest Institute is proud to support the Philadelphia Journalism Collaborative’s new economic mobility project, which will use solutions journalism to tell community-informed stories that highlight pathways to economic mobility and inform public policy in Philadelphia.

“News outlets…benefit from the reach and reputation of established NPR affiliates, while the stations receive quality, local coverage that they often struggle to provide with fewer resources.” — Carolyn Jewell of NPR on the untapped potential of public media collaborations ⬇️

Want to better track and communicate the impact of your journalism? Join the Lenfest Communities of Practice this Thursday at 2 p.m. EDT / 11 a.m. PDT for a workshop on implementing a service framework to track how your news org’s reporting is affecting the community:

Want to hire for an AI role in your news organization, but don’t know where to begin? The Lenfest AI Collaborative and Fellowship Program, in partnership with OpenAI and Microsoft, has you covered: The participating publishers shared candidate criteria, interview questions, and onboarding tips ⬇️

Want to level up your publication’s digital strategy? The Beyond Print Diagnostic has you covered. Take the free survey to assess where you are in your digital transformation journey and receive personalized recommendations and resources straight from the Beyond Print Toolkit 👇

💡 Our Chief Advancement Officer Annie McCain Madonia will join philanthropy solutions firm CCS Fundraising on Aug. 5 at 1 p.m. EDT for #SignalStrengthCCS, a free webinar on philanthropy and the future of public media. Register now 👇

Want to level up your publication’s digital strategy? The Beyond Print Diagnostic has you covered. Take the free survey to assess where you are in your digital transformation journey and receive personalized recommendations and resources straight from the Beyond Print Toolkit 👇

Struggling to communicate the importance of fundraising to the rest of your news org? Penn State Professor Tom Davidson has a simple framework: “Think of fundraising as four separate businesses with different success factors —  each of which can be neatly summed up by the letter ‘R’” 👇

“The key to sustaining local journalism lies in our ability to tackle the problem like journalists — by identifying the right sources, asking the right questions, and organizing the info we receive into something meaningful.” — Bob Bonnar, publisher and editor-in-chief of The News Letter Journal.

Struggling to communicate the importance of fundraising to the rest of your news org? Penn State Professor Tom Davidson has a simple framework: “Think of fundraising as four separate businesses with different success factors —  each of which can be neatly summed up by the letter ‘R’” 👇

The Reimagining Philadelphia Journalism Summit has evolved into a place for participants to ask questions, connect, & leave with actionable takeaways. “It’s grown into a place where all news professionals can come and, if not network, become partners of ours,” said Program Manager Samiya Green.

Join us in one hour! 👇

Journalism struggles to articulate its value — but a service framework can help publishers measure and communicate their impact. Building on a session from the Lenfest News Philanthropy Summit, Madison Karas & @pboehler.net shared resources for rethinking your impact tracking strategy:

The Reimagining Philadelphia Journalism Summit has evolved into a place for participants to ask questions, connect, & leave with actionable takeaways. “It’s grown into a place where all news professionals can come and, if not network, become partners of ours,” said Program Manager Samiya Green.

Since its April 2025 launch, @lookout-es.bsky.social has attracted over 1,200 paying members — generating $228,000 in reader revenue — and booked $212,000 in advertising. But as founder Ken Doctor notes, “This is not a story about money. It’s a story about connection and hope.”

Attending #SRCCON in Minneapolis today? Join our Community Manager Diana Lopez at 3:45 in the Ski-U-Mah room for a session with Bridget Thoreson, who created the “Career River” framework to help you redefine your professional progress and discover new opportunities ⬇️

At the 2025 Reimagining Philadelphia Journalism Summit, we brought together 150 journalists and news leaders to discuss strategies for building the future of local news 🌆💡 From AI breakthroughs to creator partnerships, one message was clear: Innovation is essential to sustainability.

Want to bring your organization’s reporting to social media in a way that feels authentic? At the Reimagining Philadelphia Journalism Summit, Technical.ly and Every Voice, Every Vote shared how they’ve begun collaborating with content creators to share takeaways from their reporting.

APPLY NOW! Project C is bringing a cohort to #ONA25 — and thanks to @lenfestinstitute.org + @journalists.org — we’ll cover your costs to attend. Travel, lodging, registration + creator-focused events included. Apply by July 18: projectc.beehiiv.com/p/apply-join...

Want to bring your organization’s reporting to social media in a way that feels authentic? At the Reimagining Philadelphia Journalism Summit, Technical.ly and Every Voice, Every Vote shared how they’ve begun collaborating with content creators to share takeaways from their reporting.

At the 2025 Reimagining Philadelphia Journalism Summit, we brought together 150 journalists and news leaders to discuss strategies for building the future of local news 🌆💡 From AI breakthroughs to creator partnerships, one message was clear: Innovation is essential to sustainability.

🚨 Apps open! Project C (thanks to @lenfestinstitute.org + @journalists.org) is taking 10 indie journalists to ONA25 🎟️ Free reg, travel $, coaching + community in NOLA. If you’re creating news via newsletter, video, audio, or social — apply by 7/18: projectc.beehiiv.com/p/apply-join...

“There is no shortage of brilliance — only a need for more bridges of support.” At the Elevate: HBCU Digital Media Conference, journalism students, faculty, and media professionals discussed their visions for the future of journalism — and how HBCU students are ready to help build it.

Ready to take your headlines to the next level? Join the Lenfest Audience Community on July 17 at 2 p.m. EDT for a discussion with YESEO app founder @ryanrestivo.bsky.social. Ryan will take us inside the patterns and quirks of headline writing & share insights learned from over two years of data.

1/ The Lenfest Institute and the Google News Initiative just announced the 13 news organizations that will receive support to experiment with community listening as part of the Lenfest-Google News Initiative News Catalyst Grant program. www.lenfestinstitute.org/institute-ne...

At @thebaltimorebanner.com, the editorial and fundraising teams have established a strong relationship based in the shared goal of strengthening the organization: “They want us to be sustainable, and they know they have a role in doing so.”