Knight Foundation is helping the Huffington Post Investigative Fund and the Center for Public Integrity join forces – creating one of the largest investigative newsrooms in the country. The foundation announced today it will support the new operation with a $250,000 grant.

‘In general investigative journalism has been suffering in the commercial sector, more than other kinds of reporting during the economic downturn and the digital transition,’ Eric Newton, vice president of Knight Foundation’s journalism program, told the New York Times. ‘The operation will be more efficient, but the newsroom will be larger, the reach of the stories will be greater. It’s a good thing for investigative reporting.’

From today’s release: Under the arrangement, the two staffs will be integrated, bringing the total at the 20-year-old Center for Public Integrity to more than 50 employees. ‘The combined editorial team offers a unique mix of award-winning journalists, computer-aided reporting experts and digital media producers.

Read the story in the New York Times and today’s news release.