Celebrating Two Years of Impact

February marks the second anniversary of The Pivot Fund, and what a journey it has been! In these past two years, we’ve committed $2 million to news outlets reaching Black, Hispanic, and Asian American audiences in Georgia. Another $300,000 went to supporting the Black-led Baltimore Beat and Atlanta’s 285 South, which serves immigrant and refugee communities. Our efforts extended beyond financial support – we conducted two news landscape analyses in Georgia and expanded the initiative to the Great Lakes region with support from Midwestern funders. We’ve also built a network of small publishers, fostering collaboration and sustainability in the local news ecosystem.

Our approach is rooted in both lived experience and rigorous research. ‘Architects of Necessity,’ a research paper authored by our CEO Tracie Powell and Dr. Meredith Clark, revealed that journalism philanthropy often unintentionally perpetuates the inequities of the 20th-century news industry. To address this, we’ve published opinion pieces, amplified local voices in national conversations, and elevated discussions on the future of local news and journalism.

The impact of our work has been tangible and inspiring. Our grantees have expanded their staff, strategically merged with other outlets, invested in their communities, earned awards, and reached over 1 million Black people in Georgia’s ‘Black Belt.’ In an era of misinformation targeting communities of color, the importance of trustworthy, accurate information for a healthy democracy cannot be overstated.

We couldn’t have achieved this without your support. Thank you for subscribing, investing, and amplifying our efforts. This is just the beginning.

In reflecting on The Pivot Fund’s journey, founder Tracie Powell highlights moments of pride, the evolving journalism industry, and future plans. One notable achievement is the impact our grantees have had on their communities. For instance, in Columbus, Blue Bancer not only trained a radio station’s sales team but also empowered local businesses with digital advertising skills and AI utilization. It exemplifies how grassroots community news can uplift entire communities beyond the newsroom.

Adapting to the rapidly evolving media landscape, The Pivot Fund has consistently pivoted to meet the changing needs of the BIPOC journalism community. Our flexibility is evident in providing wrap-around services, exploring affordable content management systems, and offering management and leadership training. We’ve navigated challenges by focusing on our mission, overcoming resistance, and addressing funders’ skepticism about our capacity.

Looking forward, The Pivot Fund plans to expand into the Upper Midwest, supporting newsrooms in four to five states. We recently announced our support for The Baltimore Beat, expediting funds deployment due to the Sinclair Broadcasting acquisition of The Baltimore Sun. The organization is expanding its Learning, Impact, and Evaluation team and entering the second year of a three-year funding commitment to Georgia newsrooms. The future holds exciting initiatives, including revenue strategy development and experiments with off-boarding models.

The vision for the future of journalism aligns with the organizations The Pivot Fund supports – grassroots and hyperlocal newsrooms reflecting the multiracial makeup of the country. Information is no longer top-down but horizontal and ground-up, shaped by and for historically ignored communities. The Pivot Fund invites other funders to join in providing trust-based news and information that is closer to the ground, more trusted, reflective, and relevant to the communities we seek to serve. Stay tuned for more surprises in the coming months!