Local Media Association is pleased to announce the 20 news organizations selected to participate in the 2026 national cohort of the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding. The lab will help these local news organizations develop and execute strategies to fund essential local journalism via philanthropy. The six-month intensive program runs from August through February 2026.

The 2026 national cohort of the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding is made possible through support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Since its launch in 2020, the lab has helped nearly 200 news organizations raise more than $40 million to support local journalism, with sustained support from Google News Initiative. Newsrooms in the new cohort will learn best practices documented in LMA’s industry report Pathways to Philanthropy and its 2024 report Sustaining Philanthropy for Journalism.

“These newsrooms have demonstrated a commitment to community service journalism,” said Frank Mungeam, chief innovation officer at LMA. “We look forward to helping them develop philanthropy as part of their overall strategy to sustain essential local journalism.” 

“As a former participant in the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding, I can attest to how helpful it was as I sought and secured my first philanthropic grants,” said Duc Luu, director of journalism sustainability at Knight Foundation. “As more national and local funders are committing to supporting local journalism, this program will be an important resource for newsrooms who are deeply focused on their communities’ needs and hoping to find like-minded funders that can help them make their communities thrive.”

The lab will help local news organizations develop and execute comprehensive programs to secure philanthropic support for their essential local journalism that is responsive to community priorities. Each publisher in the cohorts will set a fundraising goal, receive customized coaching and create and pitch a journalism project to be funded through philanthropy. Newsrooms will also gather for an in-person training and have the chance to compete for stipends to kick-start their projects.

The 20 newsrooms accepted into the 2026 cohort include a diverse set of organizations in small and large markets across the country, including family-owned outlets, public media and publishers who focus on traditionally underserved audiences. The cohort includes three news organizations serving Knight communities and seven newsrooms hosting journalists or interns from Report for America, as part of LMA’s partnership with Report Local. These news outlets share a commitment to civic journalism.

The news organizations selected are:

2026 National Cohort, LMA Lab for Journalism Funding:

The cohort will be led by Mungeam and supported by project and programming manager Nina Joss. It will also be supported by Liz White Notarangelo, former publisher of the Record-Journal (Meriden, Connecticut) and a graduate of the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding and LMA Advanced Fundraising Lab.

The newsrooms will work one-on-one with a team of best-in-class coaches including Joaquin Alvarado, who has been instrumental in the development of philanthropic funding at The Seattle Times and other local newsrooms; executive coach Joanne Heyman; experienced media executive Samantha Johnston; and Judi Terzotis who, as CEO, has helped dramatically grow philanthropic support for journalism at Georges Media Group.

LMA is excited to bring this training to news organizations serving their local communities, thanks to support from Knight Foundation. LMA will publish case studies on publisher lessons and successes from the lab that can be applied across the news industry.

Meet the Newsrooms

AMM Southern Wisconsin

“I have always been a strong believer in the power of journalism as a vehicle of accountability and change. I’m also well aware of the changing economic winds in our industry. That’s why I’m so excited to take part in a cohort that is dedicated to finding ways to ensure the health of the industry for the long haul.”

– Tim Sullivan, regional editor

Black Belt News Network

“Rural communities deserve strong, sustainable local journalism just as much as larger, more lucrative markets, but finding the resources to support that work is one of our greatest challenges. I am thrilled to join the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding and gain the tools and connections that can help Black Belt News Network continue filling critical news gaps across Alabama’s Black Belt.”

– Cindy Fisher, publisher

Cascadia Media Company

“Sustaining our essential journalism is a top goal at Cascadia Media Company, so we’re eager to take part in this strategic program. Joining a national cohort will allow us to learn new fundraising approaches, conduct better community listening, and improve the ways we serve and connect to readers.”

– Cascadia Media Company team

The Commercial Dispatch

“We’re honored to be accepted to the lab. The coaching will help our new development director translate her fundraising expertise into the journalism world — and gives us real confidence as we build this position from scratch.”

– Peter Imes, publisher

Detroit PBS

“Detroit PBS is excited to join the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding and learn alongside other media organizations committed to strengthening local journalism. The lab offers an exciting opportunity to build on our relationships across the region, strengthen our philanthropic strategy, and create lasting support for our work. We look forward to applying what we learn to deepen our impact and continue telling stories that matter to people across Detroit and Southeast Michigan.”

– Ed Moore, senior vice president of local content

Empower Media Exchange

“Empower Media Exchange is honored to join the 2026 LMA Lab for Journalism Funding. We believe local journalism has the greatest impact when communities actively engage in shaping the stories that define them. I’m excited to learn how to build a sustainable philanthropic funding model that will help sustain our digital news platform, “Front Range Focus,” grow our Community Information Commons, strengthen participatory journalism and ensure more communities have access to trusted, community-centered local news for years to come.”

– Ruby Jones, president and CEO

Houston Chronicle

“We’re thrilled to be part of this cohort and learn how to unite our journalism with philanthropic support so we can experiment with new ways of civic engagement and helping Houstonians feel more connected. We’re especially interested in looking for ways to better connect our work with local communities and create opportunities for impact.”

– Jennifer Chang, senior director of digital experimentation and innovation

Kansas City Defender

“Black churches sustained the Black press for a century before philanthropy existed. Our congregations have shown up for the Defender since day one, unprompted and even unasked. This lab gives us the infrastructure to meet that faithfulness with a real giving pipeline, and to model what community-sustained journalism looks like for the whole field.”

– Khadijah Bland, director of development and revenue

KCAW Raven Radio

“This opportunity comes at a genuinely consequential moment for Raven Radio. The loss of federal funding for public media threatens the critical local news service that we provide to our community. With support from the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding, we look forward to broadening the base of philanthropic support to keep local news not only alive but thriving in Sitka.”

– Mariana Robertson, general manager

LNP Media Group

“I am looking forward to talking with and learning from other organizations, and bringing new ideas to team members on how we can grow as a nonprofit.”

– Lindsey McCallum, director of sales

LOOKOUT News

“I’m excited to bring LOOKOUT’s perspective as an LGBTQ+ newsroom into this cohort, and I hope to help other funders and publishers see community and identity-based newsrooms not as a side category of journalism, but as some of the most essential (yet most underfunded) infrastructure in the industry.”

– Jake Hylton, executive director

Mainstreet Daily News

“Mainstreet Daily News exists to serve the community, and we want our first six years of service to turn into 60. We are thrilled to participate in the LMA lab to help make that dream a reality.”

– J.C. Derrick, publisher

Napa Valley Publishing

“I’m looking forward to learning how we can build stronger community support for local journalism in Napa and create a more sustainable future for the work we do. I’m also excited to learn from other news leaders who are tackling many of the same challenges.”

– Dan Evans, editor and publisher

Notivisión Georgia

“For our newsroom, this is much more than joining a cohort — it’s a reminder that our work matters. As the challenges of serving immigrant and Spanish-speaking communities continue to grow, this opportunity gives us hope, new perspectives, and the chance to become a stronger newsroom. We’re excited to learn, collaborate, and bring back ideas that will help us continue building journalism that informs, empowers, and truly serves our community.”

– Monica Pirela, CEO

The Rapidian

“I’m excited to explore how The Rapidian can bring the same spirit of innovation to our fundraising that we bring to our approach to local journalism. I hope to learn how The Rapidian can build sustainable philanthropic support while staying rooted in and accountable to the Grand Rapids community.”

– Allison Donahue, program manager

El Tiempo Latino

“Local journalism faces enormous change. A key challenge is developing sustainable models, including how philanthropy can strengthen a broader revenue strategy for local news. We’re excited to be part of this cohort and the remarkable work happening around it.”

– Rafael Ulloa, deputy publisher and executive vice president of communications

Times Union

“We’re honored to join the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding and to learn alongside news organizations from across the country that are committed to the future of local journalism. This is an important opportunity for us to strengthen how we listen to our community, build meaningful partnerships, and develop sustainable support for the public-service journalism our region depends on.”

– George R. Hearst III, publisher

Voice Media Group

“Voice Media Group’s four newsrooms — Phoenix New Times; Miami New Times; Dallas Observer; and Westword, in Denver — have told the stories of their respective cities for a combined 190 years, a legendary run. And still we have so much to learn. So we’re stoked that the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding welcomed us into this 2026 cohort, to help us continue to adapt and thrive in the years ahead.“

– Sam Eifling, national editor

WRAL News

“We are excited to learn and grow our newsroom with some of the most innovative journalism minds in the country, so we best serve our communities with top quality, trusted journalism, covering the topics with as many resources as possible. We know this cohort will help us serve our people for years to come.”

– Mike Friedrich, news director

WXXI Public Media

“I’m so excited to be part of an innovative thinktank dedicated to keeping newsrooms healthy and funded.”

– Leah Noonan, director of leadership giving

“We are thrilled to participate in this year’s LMA Lab for Journalism cohort.  As the funding model for journalism evolves, this is the kind of training that will help us sustain and grow our coverage and service to the community.”

– Julio Sáenz, chief content officer