From Media Growth Partners |
A Press Forward Central Appalachia Research Partner |
We know that in Central Appalachia, the future of local journalism is at a critical crossroads. This is why we formed a Press Forward chapter. Despite assumptions about digital innovation, many counties still rely on traditional newspapers as their only independent source of local news. Yet few alternatives are emerging to fill the gaps left behind when these outlets disappear.
To better understand why—and how we turn that around—Press Forward Central Appalachia has partnered with top researchers and institutions to launch a comprehensive research plan, including a State of Rural Journalism Report by Benjy Hamm and Al Cross, and a Literature Review by data economist Luke Boutwell. These findings reveal that sustainable local journalism is foundational to civic health and democratic participation, but its survival depends on reimagined business models and economic investment. We’re inviting Central Appalachia’s economic development leaders to engage with this research and help us build a Rural News Fund strategy rooted in the realities of our region.
Click the buttons below to learn more about these pieces of critical research. And if you're interested in joining this work, let us know! |
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Appalachia Funders Network coordinates and operates Press Forward Central Appalachia. When we formed the Chapter 12 months ago, it was our goal to do our first major round of funding in Summer 2025.
While we’ve taken a deliberately thoughtful pace in rolling out our first round of regional funding (shaped by ongoing listening and grounded in what we’re hearing from the field) we’ve stayed actively engaged. We’ve encouraged and supported Appalachian newsrooms in applying to national Press Forward opportunities through letters, strategic guidance, and sustained advocacy. Even as we build our own place-based program within a landscape shaped by decades of underinvestment, we’ve worked to ensure rural voices are not sidelined. We’re still on track for a summer/fall launch and remain committed to doing this right, with and for the region.
We remain steadfast in advocating for the region to be centered and included equitably in these national programs. Shout out to the Appalachian news organizations that received funding during national open calls: |
Closing Local Coverage Gaps - Press Forwards 1st Open Call |
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JMPro Community Media - Swannanoa, NC | JMPRO Community Media shares essential news and information, builds community connections, and celebrates local immigrant culture through a multichannel distribution strategy—including community radio, printed bulletins, and live reporting—as well as community reporter training. JMPRO Community Media bridges the digital divide, builds journalism and storytelling skills, and develops community leaders in underserved communities in Western North Carolina.
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Hola Carolina - Asheville, NC | Hola Carolina is an impact-driven nonprofit dedicated to exploring and amplifying the diverse voices of its community. Through impactful dialogues and empowerment, it aims to drive positive changes in policies, systems, and environments that uplift the immigrant community.
- The Athens Co Independent - Athens, OH | The Athens County Independent empowers community engagement through accessible public service journalism.
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Infrastructure - Press Forwards 2nd Open Call |
The Infrastructure grantees have not yet been publicly announced. We will share this information when it becomes available! |
The Press Forward Central Appalachia Coordinating Committee is hard at work to finalize a regional open call roll-out, but we are thrilled to report that the Rural News Fund was able to provide 7 organizations impacted by recent climate disasters with a round of emergency funding this spring.
In concert with INN, and in the spirit of filling ecosystem gaps in the communities that need it most, Press Forward Central Appalachia's Rural News Fund provided $10,000 grants to organizations who have been uplifting community stories and developments since Helene and the 2025 Winter Storms that caused flooding, impacting Kentucky and parts of Southwest Virginia and West Virginia. As the media coverage of disaster recovery in our region has begun to dwindle, it is all the more important we surface the incredible community work still happening on the ground, and support those who tell these stories.
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Join us in congratulating: |
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PBS Appalachia - Bristol, VA | PBS Appalachia creates meaningful local content that amplifies the voices of the citizens of rural Southwest Virginia. We are dedicated to providing the same level of public service as metropolitan markets, celebrating our people, land, and culture as we transition from the coalfield era to a more innovative economy. We are committed to preserving our environment by sharing stories that inspire our community to conserve and protect our beautiful region.
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The Real WV - Ronceverte, WV | The Real WV is a nonprofit multimedia organization reaching beyond the headlines to touch the heart of Appalachian identity. By celebrating good news and honestly facing bad news, they tell real stories about real West Virginians and the experiences that shape them.
- West Virginia Public Broadcasting - Charleston, WV | The mission of West Virginia Public Broadcasting is to educate, inform, and inspire our people by telling West Virginia’s story.
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WMMT - Whitesburg, KY | WMMT’s mission is to be a 24 hour voice of mountain people’s music, culture, and social issues to provide broadcast space for creative expression and community involvement in making radio, and to be an active participant in discussion of public policy that will benefit coalfield communities and the Appalachian region as a whole.
- Cardinal News - Roanoke, VA | Reporting the untold stories of Southwest and Southside Virginia, and strengthen the voices of the people in our communities who have been sidelined in the commonwealth’s political, economic and cultural conversations simply because of where they live.
- Smoky Mountain News - Waynesville, NC | The Smoky Mountain News distributes 16,000 papers per week for free at more than 600 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, and on the Cherokee Reservation, with stops in downtown Asheville.
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Thank you for all you do for our communities and for continuing to tell Appalachian stories! |
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In between partnership building as we advocate with and for our region and try to explore solutions particularly for rural communities, Media Growth Partners has been hard at work conducting listening sessions in each of the Appalachian states in our footprint (KY, NC, OH, TN, VA, & WV). At our 2025 Annual Gathering, we likewise hosted a Funder Listening session around the necessity of local journalism in supporting democracy, access to the democratic process, and building local pride. Sharing the feedback of those doing the work of news in the region with our funders is a critical step in right sizing support. Alongside other emerging data, this will inform our first regional pilot program, of which we're still on track to announce in late summer.
While we've worked to disburse funding and set up the internal controls to move with scale and care, we know you have been waiting. Keep an eye out for opportunities in the coming weeks from your regional chapter, with the ability to apply for funding forthcoming. |
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As announced at our Annual Gathering, AFN is restructuring. This reorganization is done with the intention of better facilitating collaboration across sectors and funding priorities. Driven by our members, this restructure recognizes already implemented programs in a new orientation. |
How is This Work Implicated? |
While the Press Forward Central Appalachia Chapter exists as a think tank for our members (promoting relationship and capacity building, and development of a shared analysis of why journalism is important in Appalachia, and the central role it can play in narrative ownership of place), the mechanism for committing this analysis to action is the Rural News Fund (RNF). Within RNF, we work together with involved members to drive systems changes by closing coverage gaps and enhancing infrastructure for our existing news organizations on the ground.
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This fall we will launch a free Learning Journey under the Press Forward Central Appalachia banner with Poynter Institute. This think tank work will provide powerful frameworks for funding local journalism and explore the role it plays in civic engagement in Appalachia. |
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If you’re interested in being a part of this funder learning journey, sign up below: |
To learn more about the Press Forward Central Appalachia Chapter and Rural News Fund, contact us. In supporting journalism, we can do our part in strengthening civic infrastructure in our rural communities, thus building more inclusive access to the democratic process. In encouraging civic engagement, we drive our people to become more involved in the outcomes of their own stories, and to feel empowered to make change in the place they are in.
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News from Press Forward Nationals |
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Other News That Caught Our Eye |
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Our Contact Information
Appalachia Funders Network
420 Main St, Hazard, KY 41701
(606) 439-1357
www.appalachiafunders.org
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