A collaboration between the Local Media Association (LMA) and Medill Local News Initiative, the Medill-LMA Midwest Advanced Fundraising Lab helps local news organizations in the region develop and execute advanced strategies to fund essential local journalism via philanthropy.
“Local news organizations, like any other businesses, need to strengthen existing revenue streams while also adding new ones,” said Mackenzie Warren, director of the Medill Local News Initiative. “That’s what our Lab is designed to help our partners do.”
Local news organizations participating in this Fundraising Lab, led by the Local Media Association’s Lab for Journalism Funding, endure a three-month intensive program as a cohort.
During these three-months, news organizations work with a team of dedicated coaches and attend deep-dive sessions on advanced fundraising practices including events, stewardship, planned giving and artificial intelligence. The curriculum is developed in collaboration with the newsrooms and emphasizes peer learning to ensure targeted, collaborative learning and outcomes.
Newsrooms build on best practices documented in LMA’s industry report Pathways to Philanthropy and its 2024 report Sustaining Philanthropy for Journalism.
Since its launch in 2020, the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding has helped more than 200 news organizations raise more than $38 million to support local journalism, with sustained support from Google News Initiative and additional support from Knight Foundation.
In 2024, Medill and LMA collaborated to bring a state cohort of the lab to newsrooms across Illinois. This advanced program builds on that partnership.