Center for Cooperative Media Introduces Peer Learning Collaboration Fund

The Center for Cooperative Media, a strong advocate for promoting collaborative local journalism, is introducing a new grant program aimed at building relationships and learning among the journalism, media and communication communities. Called the Peer Learning Collaboration Fund, the initiative will facilitate peer learning, relationship building and collaboration among journalists, media makers and communicators throughout the country.

The fund will award grants intended to support travel and convening expenses for grantees to meet and spend time with each other, especially journalists of color and those from, or intending to serve, underserved and underrepresented communities.”

The fund will also organize convenings in four U.S. cities to help introduce the concept of collaboration and connected news ecosystems and inspire future peer learning.

According to the Center’s Director, Stefanie Murray, “For many new, small, independent and nonprofit players in media, funds are limited and so is their time. They don’t have the budgets to travel to convenings or visit peers in other cities. And sometimes they don’t even know that their counterparts exist.”

“Likewise, many journalists working for large commercial enterprises have seen their professional development opportunities erode amid budget cuts.”

The goal is to spur knowledge sharing, experimentation, collaborations and growth for people and organizations that provide local news and information for communities around the country.

The fund will pay out grants of $500 and $1,000.  These will be awarded on a rolling basis.  The applicant must be a working journalist or employed by journalism-support organizations, be based in the U.S., and requesting support for domestic travel.  Other requirements may be found here.