Public Press Receives INNovation Fund Grant from Knight Foundation and Investigative News Network

The San Francisco Public Press was awarded a $35,000 grant through the INNovation Fund, a partnership between the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Investigative News Network, to launch a street mobilization program that will increase community engagement and generate income to support the Public Press in reporting and publishing in-depth, local public-interest news.

The Investigative News Network administers the INNovation Fund program, which is distributing $1 million from the Knight Foundation to nonprofit newsrooms for innovative sustainability projects in several rounds over the next two years. The Public Press is one of eight recipients selected from 118 applicants in the first round.

The Public Press will use the INNovation grant to launch a street mobilization pilot program that will employ newspaper hawkers and canvassers as part of a larger initiative to improve the visibility of the organization, expand its audience and increase membership donations.

This grassroots marketing effort will leverage San Francisco’s vibrant street life and outdoor events to connect with large numbers of Bay Area residents and raise awareness about the Public Press and its partner public media organizations. This initiative will help the Public Press expand the broad base of readers needed to ensure its long-term viability as a member-supported news organization dedicated to improving transparency in government, business and other public-interest spheres by conducting significant, data-driven investigations into issues of community concern.

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