Local news outlets in 2025 understand they must “make the case” for the value of their journalism and earn their community’s support every day through their work. Traditional and new types of revenue are essential to sustainability. Philanthropic support has also become a key to long-term sustainability. Local Media Association launched the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding in 2020, with support from Google News Initiative, to help newsrooms make their case for support to both funders and their community.
Earlier this year, in partnership with the New Mexico Local News Fund, LMA launched a state cohort of the Lab for Journalism Funding in New Mexico. Fourteen newsrooms from across the state were selected for the six-month program, which included one-on-one coaching, biweekly webinars and an in-person convening. In September, the program culminated with a “Pitch Day,” where newsrooms presented their journalism projects to a panel of funder-judges and competed for kickstarter funding grants.
The lessons they learned about making the case for support of local news are relevant to all news outlets who seek community support.
Here are four key takeaways:
Start with listening. Don’t assume you know what your community needs and values from you. Assuming we know is a journalism mistake of the past that news outlets cannot continue. Deep community listening is the foundation for impactful journalism. To be sure, newsrooms are under financial pressure. But the best way to earn community support is to focus on serving and solving community needs.
Go beyond “more reporting.” Newsrooms need more reporting resources. But the best-designed journalism projects do more than “add reporters.” They design for community engagement, they leverage technology and they use new platforms and formats to meet audiences where they are.
Harness the power of partnerships. When it comes to addressing real community challenges, a team approach is often the best way to make an impact. News leaders should think outside of their organization to consider who else in the community is working toward the same outcomes and consider ways to join forces — not only with other news organizations, but also with community groups and individuals who can contribute their skills and expertise. Partnerships often lead to even more community support.
Focus on impact. Local news organizations, especially so-called legacy news outlets, have a remarkable story to tell. That includes their history of impact, a level of earned trust in the community and their sizable audience reach. These are the ingredients that make a news organization a great partner for a funder seeking to achieve meaningful outcomes, together.
Newsrooms in the New Mexico cohort of the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding engaged in community listening, developed community network maps, connected with local funders, crafted impact statements and designed reporting projects in response to local needs.
Congratulations to the newsrooms whose philanthropic journalism projects received the top scores from our panel of funder-judges at Pitch Day and received stipends thanks to support from the New Mexico Local News Fund. A record total of $60,000 in stipends was awarded to the top journalism projects across three state cohorts of the lab. Here are the award-winning presentations from New Mexico, along with judges’ comments about what made these journalism projects so worthy of support.
1st place: Gallup Sun ($7,500)
Project: Alcohol health solutions beat
“Overall, the presentation provided a wealth of important information and demonstrated how the newspaper is effectively promoting local issues.”
2nd place: Albuquerque Journal ($5,000)
Project: ABQ Journal civic impact fund
“Your personal story was powerful, and the depth of community input gathered is impressive.”
3rd place: Chandler Broadcasting/KCCC 930AM ($2,500)
Project: Community-trained, community-served: A new approach to rural news
“Love that you’re solutions-focused (with) verified journalism, but also keeping it real to info needs.”
We are grateful to our judges who volunteered their time and valuable feedback at our New Mexico Pitch Day. Our judges included: Natalia Bergamaschi from Google, Linda Candelaria from Con Alma Health Foundation, Melissa Davis from Press Forward and Henry Rael from the McCune Charitable Foundation.
Congratulations to all the newsrooms who completed the New Mexico cohort of the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding!
About the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding:
Since 2020, the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding has trained 196 newsrooms in best practices for earning philanthropic support as one way to fund essential local journalism. Alumni of the lab have collectively raised more than $35 million. Thanks to continued support from Google News Initiative, the lab expanded in 2025 to offer three new state cohorts in California, Illinois and New Mexico, in addition to a national cohort funded by Knight Foundation.