What do you do when you’re the parent of a profoundly deaf child seeking the best education and community possible? If you’re Devorah Ben-Moshe, you and your family moves to Austin, Texas, where The Texas School for the Deaf offers some of the best education–and the best community–in the world. But you don’t stop there–concerned […]
Article · February 27, 2011 by Michele McLellan
This is one in a series of excerpts from our new booklet “Journalism and Media Grant Making,” a primer for foundations that want to get started. Five Things You Need to Know: 3. You can start without a lot of money You don’t have to spend a lot of dollars to dip a toe in […]
Article · February 16, 2011 by Michele McLellan
This is the second in a series of excerpts from our new booklet “Journalism and Media Grant Making.” Based on the experiences of foundations that are making media grants, it’s a primer for foundations that want to get started. Five Things You Need to Know: 2. You can build on what you’re already doing News […]
Article · February 15, 2011 by Michele McLellan
The Community Foundation of Greater South Wood County has formed an innovative partnership with the MIT Media Lab’s Center for Future Civic Media. Together they are creating a community lab that tests ways to match digital technology with citizen information needs and community challenges. “We provide the MIT Media Lab with a ‘community lab’ within […]
Article · February 14, 2011 by Michele McLellan
Financial stability is a big challenge for many news and information projects. After that initial burst of foundation funding, how do you keep the project going? MinnPost, a Community Information Challenge winner in the first round, has been an aggressive leader in developing a variety of funding streams – mixing commercial approaches such as advertising […]
Article · January 24, 2011 by Michele McLellan
The Chicago Community Trust announced a one-year, $247,000 Local Reporting Initiative to “stimulate a wave of new reporting and analysis” if issues affecting communities on the south and west sides of Chicago. “High quality reporting and analysis is the lifeblood of civic life,” said Ngoan Le, vice president of program for The Chicago Community Trust. […]
Article · January 12, 2011 by Michele McLellan
A youth media project sponsored by The Skillman Foundation in Detroit has launched its site with a name change from KidSpeakNeighborhood News to Our Life in the D. Cynthia Burton The new name came from the youths themselves, says Cynthia Burton of Michigan’s Children, which is running the program. The participants “did not like the […]
Article · January 12, 2011 by Michele McLellan
By Liz Herbert Joyner, Executive Director, The Village Square, Inc. The Village Square, a partnership with The Community Foundation of North Florida, seeks to foster civil civic dialog through live forums and Web platforms, including a wiki. It was ten years ago last week that America woke up without a president-elect, in what was to become […]
Article · November 15, 2010 by Michele McLellan
Many Knight Community Information Challenge projects rely at least in part on volunteers to contribute content for their sites. Kwan Booth, a faculty member at Knight Digital Media Center’s recent KCIC Boot Camp for new grantees, has extensive experience working with volunteer contributors. Booth, who is senior community manager for Oakland Local, has turned many […]
Article · October 16, 2010 by Michele McLellan
Knight Digital Media Center hosted a boot camp in Chicago Oct. 3-7 for the latest winners of the Knight Community Information Challenge. You can find some of the presentations here. The live blog is archived here.
Article · October 12, 2010 by Michele McLellan
The Chicago Community Trust has conducted surveys of about 800 local residents and about 250 community leaders to get a better idea about whether Chicagoans believe their news and information needs are being met. The survey found that internet access is widespread and, in general, 87 percent of Chicagoans feel adequately or well informed. Libraries […]
Article · September 23, 2010 by Michele McLellan