Gannett Foundation
OVERVIEW: The Gannett Foundation supports communities that are served by its parent news media company, focusing on housing and homelessness, work and opportunity and K-12 education. It also supports journalism education and training.
IP TAKE: This is an accessible funder for organizations that support underserved populations in communities served by Gannett. The Gannett Foundation paused its community grantmaking program in 2020, but will continue its media grantmaking program, for which it accepts applications on the first of May and October of each year. If you work in their areas, consider this responsive funder. Another way to secure a grant here is to network with an employee of its corporate sister for matching funding.
PROFILE: Based in McLean, Virginia, the Gannett Foundation is the philanthropic sister of the Gannett Company, publisher of USA Today and many local newspapers in the U.S. This foundation runs two funding initiatives: A Community Thrives supports civic engagement, community development, housing and K-12 education for disadvantaged groups in communities served by Gannett newspapers, and the foundation’s media grants program supports journalism education and training, with an emphasis on increasing diversity in the field.
Grants for Civic Engagement and Democracy
The Gannett Foundation supports civic engagement and democracy through A Community Thrives. The foundation does not outline specific goals for its civic funding, focusing instead on offering effective support to each community. Grantees include civic organizations, community foundations and giving circles. In Nevada, Gannett has supported the Center for Civic Engagement, which connects civic leaders with teachers and youth with the goal of increasing engagement throughout the state. In Michigan, Gannett has funded Leaders Advancing and Helping Communities, which works in advocacy and leadership development. Other past grantees include the Mooresburg Community Association in Tennessee, the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico and the Community Foundation of Rochester, New York.
Grants for Housing and Homelessness
This funder supports housing and homelessness via A Community Thrives, placing emphasis on the neediest communities in the areas served by Gannett. In Michigan, the foundation has given to the Community Action House in Holland, which helps homeless families find shelter, food and clothing and develop skills that support personal stability and prosperity. In New Jersey, Gannett has supported Eva’s Village, which runs overnight homeless shelters as well as transitional and affordable housing programs for homeless and recently homeless families and individuals. Other grantees working in the area of affordable housing include Renewing Homes of Greater Augusta, Our Place Nashville, the Metuchen Downtown Alliance and Midtown Indianapolis, Inc.
Grants for K-12 Education
A significant portion of Gannett’s community funding goes to K-12 and youth programs. While the foundation does not name specific goals for its education grantmaking, many grants have gone to organizations that provide out-of-school learning opportunities for K-12 students. In Nashville, Tennessee, Gannett has supported BOOK EM, a book distribution and literacy program, as well as Girls Write Nashville, which supports female-identifying youth with songwriting programs and mentoring. The foundation also supports multiple local chapters of Big Brothers-Big Sisters and Boys and Girls Clubs, as well as children’s and youth programs at public libraries and community centers.
Grants for Work and Opportunity
Sourced from A Community Thrives, Gannett’s work and opportunity grantmaking overlaps with its housing and homelessness funding. Several grantees provide combined housing, rehabilitation and job training programs to homeless or recently homeless people, and many others work with low-income or at-risk populations. In Washington D.C., Calvary Women’s Services provides shelter, food, counseling and free vocational training courses to homeless women, survivors of domestic abuse and those who suffer from mental illness or addiction. Another grantee, the Haven of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, provides shelter, advocacy and interfaith counseling toward self-sufficiency to homeless men. In Detroit, Focus: Hope provides free or low-cost vocational training in technology, culinary arts and truck driving, prioritizing at-risk and minority individuals.
Grants for Journalism
Gannett’s media grants support journalism education and training programs, with an emphasis on increasing the media industry’s diversity. Grants tend to go to well-established organizations and institutions that run high-quality journalism education or continuing education programs. Program evaluation is usually required of grantees of Gannett’s grantees in this area. One grantee, the Poynter Institute, received funding for a program that aimed to support and further the careers of women in journalism. Another grant went to the Gerontology Society of America, which used funding for its Journalists in Aging Fellows Program. Journalism education programs at Indiana University, Washington University and the University of Miami have also received support.
Other Grantmaking Opportunities
In addition to Gannett’s A Community Thrives and media funding programs, the Foundation runs sizable employee giving, employee matching and employee volunteerism programs, the emphasis of which is generally dictated by employee interest. These programs operate in the same geographic areas that are served by Gannett newspapers.
Important Grant Details:
Grants originating from A Community Thrives are generally awarded in amounts up to $100,000, with an average grant size of about $15,000. Media grants tend to be larger, with an average grant size of about $50,000. In all, the foundation gives away about $2 million a year. For information about past grantees, see the foundation’s past recipients page.
Applications for A Community Thrives grants are usually accepted during a four-week period between April and May of each year, but this grantmaking program was paused in 2020 on account of the COVID-19 crisis. Media grant applications are accepted for two yearly grant cycles, with due dates on the first of March or October. Additional information about the application procedure is available at the foundation’s FAQ page. General inquiries may be made to A Community Thrives via an online form, and to media grants programs via email.
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