Local Media Foundation has launched a new program to provide fundraising support, financial and administrative oversight, business transformation consulting and other resources to the new Solving Sacramento news collaborative in California.

Solving Sacramento is a collaborative of non-profit and for-profit local newsrooms, educational institutions, and community partners working together to produce and share news stories on the issues that most impact the larger Sacramento metro region.

The collaborative recently launched with initial support from Solutions Journalism Network.

“We are excited to work with this collaborative as they envision creating an impact on affordable housing with Solutions Journalism,” said David Bornstein, SJN chief executive officer. “They are responding to a pressing need that is both local and national, have innovative ideas for reporting stories, and recognize the urgency of sharing solutions with their current audience as well as reaching out to others across the city.”

“The team of SJN’s Local Media Project is thrilled to welcome Sacramento to our cohort of solutions journalism news collaboratives,” said Liza Gross, vice president, practice change. “We were impressed by this group’s commitment to strengthening the local media ecosystem and reimagining how solutions journalism can contribute to more inclusive and complete coverage that engages the community. We are confident the Sacramento collaborative will do great and transformative work.”

Kaiser

“As the state capital of the world’s fifth largest economy, Sacramento has its fair share of journalists. But a diminishing number of these are covering Sacramento itself,” said Jo Ellen Green Kaiser, Solving Sacramento project manager. “Solving Sacramento is organized to shine a light on the issues that most challenge the city’s multiple diverse communities, starting with affordable housing.”

Solving Sacramento launched with seven founding news organizations and community partners:

Lee

“I am proud to be working with some of the Sacramento region’s community newsrooms, educational institutions and community partners as we launch Solving Sacramento,” said Larry Lee, president and publisher of The Observer Media Group/The Sacramento Observer. “We are driven to help address and offer solutions to some of the capital city’s most challenging issues in an inclusive and collaborative manner.

“I am equally excited about Local Media Foundation’s participation in this collaboration. I have watched first-hand LMF’s positive impact on efforts such as this one throughout the local media ecosystem, and am confident in the steps LMF will take to help us build a sustainable product for our community,” added Lee, who is also a board director for LMF-affiliated Local Media Association.

Solving Sacramento becomes the seventh collaborative operated by or in partnership with LMF and Local Media Association. Others include Word In Black, Oklahoma Media Center, Solving for Chicago, the LMA Covering Climate Collaborative, Amplify Ohio and Word Is Out: A Queer Media Collaborative.

Nancy Lane
Lane

“We’re delighted to add Solving Sacramento to our growing list of industry collaboratives,” said Nancy Lane, LMF chief executive officer. “This group is well organized and fully committed to working together. It will no doubt be very successful.”

About Local Media Association / Local Media Foundation

Local Media Association brings all media together to share, network, collaborate and more. More than 3,000 newspapers, TV stations, radio stations, digital-only publications, and research and development partners engage with LMA as members or constituents of our programs. As a 501(c)(6) trade association, LMA is focused on the business side of local media. Its programs and labs focus on revenue growth and new business models. LMA helps local media companies develop their strategies via cutting-edge programs, conferences, webinars, research and training.

Local Media Foundation serves as the innovation and transformation affiliate of LMA. Incorporating our four strategic pillars — business transformation, journalism funded by philanthropy, industry collaboration, and sustainability for publishers of color — LMF helps provide local media companies the strategies and resources for meaningful innovation and impactful journalism projects.