We are delighted to announce that the James B. McClatchy Foundation has named the Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) one of 25 grassroots organizations in the Central Valley to receive a portion of $1.5M in grant awards. These grants are aimed at preserving local journalism and strengthening multiple initiatives addressing the community impact of news deserts and the loss of local reporting. The investment will create 20 journalism jobs across the Central Valley, as well as fund innovative programs that enrich the next generation of journalists and civic leaders, holding powerful interests accountable.

With the continued support of the James B. McClatchy Foundation, PIQE will build upon this foundation of civic engagement by expanding our reach and continuing to implement our aligned policy and advocacy strategies in Central Valley centered around civic engagement. This will allow PIQE to bolster the number of families able to civically lead on issues affecting their community, particularly within the context of education. A vital aspect of our civic engagement work is our digital literacy, inclusion, and adoption support. We have made a concerted effort in recent years to ensure that Central Valley families have the skills necessary to utilize their devices to access resources and actively participate in their communities.

“We’re placing our bets here in the Central Valley where the people represent the future of the state of California and their stories deserve to be amplified. JBMF is supporting a community-based journalism ecosystem that we hope can be replicated in communities across the US,” said Misty Avila, the Foundation’s Chief Impact Officer.

Misty Avila, the Foundation’s Chief Impact Officer.

From generating new jobs in journalism to building pipelines that nurture homegrown journalists and civic leaders, this collaborative network in the heart of the state’s agricultural and fastest-growing regions is creating multiple pathways for preserving one of democracy’s pillars. Grassroots efforts to sustain and restore a vibrant, local free press are the focus of over $1.5M in new grant funding from JBMF – the largest one-time investment of its kind for local journalism and democracy, bringing the Foundation’s total investment since 2019 to $3.5M.  

“The loss of local journalism leaves many communities vulnerable to mis/disinformation, partisan polarization, and civic disengagement. The result is an erosion of democracy as fewer local journalism organizations have the investigative resources to serve as the community’s watchdog,” said Paul Cheung, CEO of the Center for Public Integrity (CPI). “This partnership will combine Public Integrity’s investigative power with deep insights from local journalists to ensure the diverse communities of California’s Central Valley have an independent news source that they can trust,”

Paul Cheung, CEO of the Center for Public Integrity (CPI)

Thank you to the James B. McClatchy Foundation, dedicated to the awareness of—and engagement with—the First Amendment freedoms by fostering inclusive collaborations with Central Valley organizations. We are grateful for your generosity, as well as your support of our mission to empower families to take an active role in their children’s education and their community at large.

These grants build upon JBMF’s release of the Local Journalism Feasibility Study and the launch of the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative in 2021.  Initiatives like these and the work of over 25 Grantees will be funded with these investments from JBMF.  Congratulations to all the James B. McClatchy Foundation grant recipients:

Black Youth Leadership Project
Breakbox Thought Collective
California Center for Civic Participation
Center for Public Integrity
Central Valley Latino Leadership Academy
Central Valley Partnership
Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project
EdSource
Faith in the Valley
First Amendment Coalition
Fresno State Center for Community Voices
Fresno State Institute for Media and Public Trust
Fresnoland Media
Hmong Innovating Politics
Journalism Funding Partners: CSUS Journalism
Kern Sol News
Little Manila Rising
Drip Drop News through the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education
Parent Institute for Quality Education
PBS NewsHour’s Communities Initiative – Fresno, CA
Sacramento Area Congregations Together
Sacramento County Office of Education: California Scholastic Journalism Initiative
Social Justice PolitiCorps
The Ivanhoe Sol
The Stockton Record
YDN Nueva Epoca Early Career Development Program
Yolo County Office of Education: Yolo County Youth Civic Initiative

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