California's civic media program sends $18.75 million to 214 newsrooms in its first round, nonprofits among them
The grants, announced Nov. 2 by the program the state runs with Google, range from $20,000 to $250,000 and follow mainly how many journalists a newsroom employs. Nonprofits were 26 percent of applicants and received 28 percent of the money.
Newsrooms awarded in the first round, by total staff they reported
Sacramento. The California Civic Media Program, a public-private partnership between the state and Google, announced its first grants on Nov. 2: $18.75 million for 214 state and local news organizations, from legacy newspapers and sole proprietors to nonprofit newsrooms and ethnic media.
The program sits within the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, known as GO-Biz. The James B. McClatchy Foundation administered the application process independently, guided by an advisory board of news industry leaders. Nonprofit newsrooms on the list of awardees include CalMatters, EdSource, Voice of San Diego, inewsource and Local News Pasadena.
How the money was divided
Each base award was set by a headcount formula: $20,000 for each of the first five full-time-equivalent journalists in California and $10,000 for each from the sixth through the 20th, up to $250,000. Newsrooms could also ask for a needs-based adjustment of up to double their base award, and those with less than one full-time journalist were eligible for $20,000 to $40,000. A review committee scored eligible applications on coverage of disinvested audiences, planned use of the funds and organizational viability, and the program paid out in score order until the money ran out.
Of 351 applications, 297 were eligible and 214 were funded, with an average grant of $88,676. For-profit newsrooms made up 72 percent of applicants and received 71 percent of the dollars; nonprofits made up 26 percent and received 28 percent. Organizations controlled by lobbying firms or political action committees, 501(c)(4) and 501(c)(6) organizations, and outlets that mainly broadcast could not apply.
Each of the 13 California Jobs First regions received at least $415,000, and the largest regional total was $5.7 million. The Bay Area had the most awards, 61, followed by Los Angeles County with 35. Some 103 awardees said they publish in a language other than English.
What comes next
Every award is conditional until the newsroom confirms its journalist count and media liability insurance and signs a grant agreement, and the amount can change in that check. Documents are due Dec. 4, and payments for this round close Dec. 21; newsrooms that miss the deadline will be paid in January. Amounts for each newsroom will be added to the public list once the agreements are signed. There is no appeal of scores or award amounts.
The grants carry no editorial conditions, the program says: neither the state nor Google reviews coverage. Grantees will report on their results over the coming year for a program report in 2027. The next round is expected in summer 2027, and the state plans two one-year grant programs of $3 million each next year for ethnic media and public media.
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