Butler Eagle and others to receive grant funding
The Butler Eagle and two other news organizations have been awarded grants from the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Foundation, through its inaugural PA Lab for Journalism Funding program, which looks to strengthen community reporting through philanthropic efforts.
Each news outlet will receive a $20,000 “kick-starter” for their top-scoring projects, which was made possible by funding and participation from Google News Initiative, Knight Foundation, Lenfest Institute and PNA Foundation.
“I am very excited and proud of our team who participated in the PA Lab for Journalism Funding program, which included newsroom, podcast, financial and management personnel,” Butler Eagle publisher Tammy Schuey said. “I appreciate the opportunity we were given to go through the lab and the philanthropic organizations that support the lab and are dedicated to supporting community journalism.”
Along with the Butler Eagle, SPIRIT Media Group and WITF & the Steinman Institute for Civic Engagement were selected from 12 Pennsylvania news organizations that participated in a four-month lab for journalism funding.
Lab participants attended virtual group sessions every other week and received individual training with industry experts.
To make the final decisions, a panel of five judges presided over 12 presentations at LMA Fest in Chicago for a shot at the grants. Assignment editor Tracy Leturgey presented on behalf of the Butler Eagle.
“The ‘Kick-Starter’ grant will set us on a three-year project entitled ‘Civics and Civility,’” Schuey said. “As our entire community knows, we have been on the national stage and part of this project will be dedicated to helping our community heal and move forward in a more tolerant and civil manner.”
Leturgey said she was grateful for her experience in the PA Lab for Journalism Funding.
“Our team learned about the future of funding for news organizations like the more than 150-year-old publication that serves Butler County — my home and my hometown,” Leturgey said. “The PA Lab for Journalism Funding encouraged our team to envision how our newsroom could make an even greater impact through our journalism and how to make that work sustainable by seeking funding around our plans.
“The funding and the lessons learned are so valuable as we launch a journalism project that we believe can bridge divides in Butler County, addressing a lack of civility and a misunderstanding of civics along the way.”
The grants will be awarded at the PNA 100th Anniversary Gala on Nov. 14 in Hershey.
