Category Archives: Video

What happens when a small, independent newsroom suddenly loses $350,000 in funding? In this episode of the Pivot Fund Pod, Pivot Fund grantee Black By God shares how an unexpected funding crisis forced the West Virginia newsroom to act quickly, rethink its approach to sustainability and lean into the community it serves. Founder Crystal GoodContinue reading “What Rapid-Response Really Looks Like: Support Helps Black By God Rebound”

The Mississippi Free Press has expanded its reach across Mississippi by investing in reporters and relationships rooted in the communities it wants to better serve. With Pivot Fund support, MFP expanded reporting in East Central Mississippi, including coverage of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, a community that had received little sustained local news coverage.Continue reading “Expand Coverage by Building From Within the Community”

Across The Pivot Fund’s portfolio, grantees have grown their audiences by an average of 218%—evidence that deeply understanding and serving communities can be a powerful growth strategy. Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service (NNS) offers another compelling example. Although NNS is not currently a Pivot grantee, its publisher credits an early investment from Pivot CEO Tracie PowellContinue reading “Community Focus Drives Growth: Investing in Trusted Local News”

The Pivot Fund’s $150,000 investment helped 285 South grow from a one-person newsletter into a community newsroom with the staff, infrastructure and distribution needed to more consistently serve Metro Atlanta’s immigrant and refugee communities. The investment supported the launch of the outlet’s first website, its first full-time reporter and a part-time editor, while helping buildContinue reading “Growing a Newsroom Around Community Needs: 285 South’s Impact”

The Pivot Fund’s $150,000 investment helped The Kansas City Defender build the infrastructure needed to grow beyond a founder-led newsroom. The investment supported key leadership hires, including the organization’s first director of development and revenue and its first senior editor, creating the capacity to strengthen fundraising, expand editorial operations and build long-term sustainability. Those investmentsContinue reading “Building Community Power Through Movement Journalism: The Kansas City Defender’s Impact Story”

Community trust doesn’t happen by accident — it requires sustained investment. With support from The Pivot Fund, Conecta Arizona transformed from a newsroom operating in crisis mode into a stronger, more sustainable institution. The organization expanded coverage into Southern Arizona, strengthened its leadership team and grew a community network of more than 80,000 people throughContinue reading “From Crisis Response to Community Infrastructure: Conecta Arizona’s Impact Story”

As part of The Pivot Fund’s Impact Series, we’re highlighting how investments in trusted, community-rooted publishers builds stronger organizations, healthier local information ecosystems and more resilient communities. First up is Radio Campesina, whose story shows what becomes possible when trusted newsrooms have the capacity to grow. The Pivot Fund’s $150,000 investment helped Radio Campesina hasContinue reading “Capacity Creates Opportunity: Radio Campesina’s Growth Story”

Artificial intelligence is changing journalism faster than many publishers expected. For community publishers, that reality brings understandable questions. Should we use AI? How much? Will audiences trust us? How do we protect our credibility while still taking advantage of tools that can save time? Those questions were at the center of a recent Pivot FundContinue reading “Webinar Takeaways: Fostering Context, Community and Connection in the Age of AI”

Black By God Founder and Publisher Crystal Good highlights the impact of Pivot support on the hyperlocal outlet.

Tracie Powell of The Pivot Fund speaks with John Adams, founder of Local News Day and Montana Free Press, about a new national effort to reconnect communities with trusted local news. They discuss the growing gap between trust and visibility in local journalism, why hyperlocal outlets — especially those serving underrepresented communities — are oftenContinue reading “Local News Day Is a Visibility Opportunity Hyperlocal Newsrooms Can’t Miss”