The Pivot Fund’s Work Spotlighted in New Funder Resources

The University of Pennsylvania and Impact Architects recently released in-depth, practical guides for philanthropists interested in funding news and information. Both mention The Pivot Fund as a resource, specifically the news landscape analyses at the foundation of Pivot’s approach.

Penn’s 2025 High Impact Giving Toolkit, released this month, includes a section on funding News and Civic Information using the approach developed by the university’s Center for High Impact Philanthropy. The center defines “high impact” philanthropy as serving the public good, and the Toolkit’s strategies can be applied to a range of issues. But it notes that “Funding news strengthens society and increases impact in many other issue areas.”

Impact Architects’ 2024 Report: Local News & Information Ecosystems, released in October, is an ambitious attempt to create a framework for measuring the impact of local news funding by tracking standardized indicators of civic engagement and democracy in eight states and three cities. An update of a 2020 report it was supported by Democracy Fund, a leading local news funder and thought leader.

Both resources emphasize the value of funders understanding news and information ecosystems from the ground up before they invest. “Funders can support research that maps local news landscapes across the country, assesses audiences’ information needs, and informs future investments,” says the High Impact Giving Toolkit, noting that the Pivot Fund is working with major foundations to map news ecosystems of the Great Lakes region.

The Impact Architects’ report goes even further, using its methodology to map the health of civic engagement and democracy in eight states and three cities, making it a valuable resource for funders interested in working in any of those areas. In its section on Georgia, it draws on The Pivot Fund’s groundbreaking 2023 Georgia News Landscape Analysis for the Georgia News Collaborative.

Reports such as these show how much the field of journalism philanthropy has developed in the past 15 years, since funders started recognizing that the collapse of local news and information could affect a wide range of issues they cared about. Yet funders need local knowledge more than ever to operate effectively because how people consume news and information has changed dramatically during that time.

According to Pew Research, 54% of Americans say they get news from social media at least some of the time. For people of color, the percentage is even higher, which is not surprising given traditional media brands’ history of ignoring or stereotyping these communities. Northwestern/Medill’s 2024 Local News Report shows the precipitous decline in newspapers continuing, but an increase in digital-only sites was a bright spot.

Indeed, The Pivot Fund was created to support these grassroots, hyperlocal news outlets that are being created by and for communities of color. Our researchers go into communities to learn who they trust for their news and information. We vet the outlets based on whether they adhere to journalism values and have community trust, it doesn’t matter if they never owned a printing press. And we build relationships that bridge the gap between funders and local news entrepreneurs.

It’s great to see evidence-based frameworks emerging to guide funding of local news and information. We’re glad to provide the local knowledge that ensures that funding goes to create new, equitable and inclusive news ecosystems where a new generation of journalists and publishers are building outlets in partnership with their communities.