Community Foundation Named Local Press Forward Chapter

[Image description: Press Forward Northern Michigan blue text logo.}

The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation has been selected to serve as Press Forward Northern Michigan—the local Northern Michigan chapter of Press Forward, a national movement to strengthen our democracy by revitalizing local news and information.

Through Press Forward, a coalition of national funders is investing more than $500 million to strengthen local newsrooms, close longstanding gaps in journalism coverage, advance public policy that expands access to local news, and scale the supporting infrastructure the sector needs to survive and thrive.

The Community Foundation joins a network of Press Forward local chapters across the country, now numbering 22. Local chapters are uniquely positioned to rally people and organizations around a shared vision for supporting local news while national Press Forward funders can help catalyze those investments, share lessons across geographics, and scale ideas. As the host of Press Forward Northern Michigan, the Community Foundation aims to bring together local funders, donors, and news media partners to expand resources for place-based news and storytelling.

“The challenge of rebuilding America’s local news landscape is vast and depends on multi-layered solutions at the national and local levels, including through these local chapters,” said Dale R. Anglin, Press Forward Director. “Press Forward Locals are critical to our success because they are closest to their communities and can identify and collaborate on authentic approaches for the places they serve.”

Press Forward offers its local chapters a suite of supportive resources to help them succeed. For example, local chapters can apply for grant funding to accelerate their work. Press Forward also offers local chapters technical assistance, such as coaching and training, research and case studies, and access to peer networks to cultivate shared learning.

“The Community Foundation sees a strong, inclusive news ecosystem across Northern Michigan as central to our vision of healthy, resilient, thriving communities for all,” said David Mengebier, President and CEO of the Community Foundation. “We appreciate Press Forward’s vote of confidence in us and look forward to partnering with local newsrooms across Northern Michigan to promote robust, quality journalism that’s critical to civic engagement, government transparency and accountability, and information access for the people and places we serve.”