This guide is designed to help democracy funders understand and support audience-first communications, a strategic response to the challenges of the modern information ecosystem that enables those invested in American democracy to reach and persuade new audiences of its value.

Along the way, this guide will introduce some of the concepts that underlie modern communications programs and strategies. While funders do not need to be experts in communications to make good funding decisions, an understanding of how communications strategies have responded to the demands of the modern information ecosystem will make it easier and likely inform other areas of work as well.

This guide is the product of DCC’s staff of communications experts, conversations with an extensive network of communications practitioners representing more than 125 democracy organizations, a first-of-its-kind 2025 survey of the needs and challenges facing the democracy communications field, consultations with funders in the Democracy Funders Network and the expertise of DFN staff. 

You can read the guide here.

The Cleveland Foundation, traditionally focused on grants for various community needs, shifted to support Cleveland Documenters in 2020, paying citizens to attend and document local government meetings. This reflects a broader trend of philanthropies, including major foundations like Ford and MacArthur, increasing funding for local journalism. The emphasis is on disseminating essential information rather than traditional investigative reporting. Initiatives like the Indiana Local News Initiative (ILNI) exemplify this shift, prioritizing community input and collaboration. The approach acknowledges the importance of addressing fundamental information gaps for civic engagement. Despite concerns about the limitations of citizen reporting, some initiatives, like Signal Cleveland, successfully combine community involvement with traditional coverage. Overall, this evolving landscape represents a new approach to meet information needs and enhance civic engagement beyond traditional newspapers.

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Reliable information fuels our lives. We need to know who is on the ballot, what’s happening in our schools, where to find rental assistance, and how to make change in our neighborhoods. From daily reporting that equips people to act, to huge investigations that reveal corruption, the health of local news is bound up with the health of our democracy.

Over five years, Democracy Fund has invested $11 million in six geographic areas across the U.S., where residents and institutions are collaborating to better meet their communities’ real information needs.

This report tells the story of how Democracy Fund grantees created positive impact in their communities through innovative, locally-driven solutions. It also shares lessons for funders and local leaders interested in advancing a more equitable future for local journalism. As more funders consider local collaborative funding, we hope that this report will serve as a valuable resource.

We believe that funding local news ecosystems is an equitable way to support local news because it is rooted in community listening and redistributing resources to areas of greatest need. ​​In 2023, we have committed $4.75 million over the next three years to the geographic areas highlighted in the report, as part of our new Equitable Journalism strategy.

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It’s understandable that the idea that government should help save local media makes many journalists’ skin crawl. How can reporters get support from one of the institutions we’re supposed to be holding accountable?

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We see every day how local news strengthens democracy. People rely on local news to figure out who to vote for, how to speak up at school board meetings, how to run for local office, where to find vaccines, when to organize for change, and more. From daily reporting that equips people to act, to huge investigations that reveal corruption, the health of local news is bound up with the health of our democracy.

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