Gannett Foundation launches $2.3 million grant initiative
Nonprofit and municipal organizations with projects aimed at building their communities may apply to the 2020 A Community Thrives program, a $2.3 million initiative of the Gannett Foundation. The program is sponsored by the USA TODAY Network’s parent company, Gannett.
The nationwide crowdfunding and grant program is entering its fourth year of supporting organizations that address social issues including education, housing, arts and culture, wellness and the environment.
Typically, organizations apply to raise money for a specific project. Accepted organizations will work to raise funds on their own through a crowdfunding campaign, then may be eligible for more than 100 grants.
Organizers said A Community Thrives gives nonprofit groups the opportunity to fundraise on a national platform, while grants help further accelerate exceptional projects.
“The Gannett Foundation grants will support our readers’ top community-building ideas to help address local needs and ensure a vibrant, healthy community. We are committed to work in partnership to help our communities connect, act and thrive,” Maribel Perez Wadsworth, Gannett Media president of news and Gannett Foundation vice president, said in a statement.
More than a dozen national grants to support projects are set to be distributed, ranging from $25,000 to $100,000. Separate incentives aimed at rewarding high-fundraising projects will be offered. Dozens more regional grants will be distributed for general operating support, starting at $2,500. These grants are chosen by leaders across Gannett’s nationwide USA TODAY Network of newsrooms.
Michael A. Anastasi, vice president and editor of The (Nashville) Tennessean, said journalists are always searching for the “opportunity to make the world a better place through our work . ... We know the community in a way that those outside the community just can’t.”
A Community Thrives harnesses that local knowledge in selecting winners of grants. The combination of fundraising and grant opportunities is a “game changer” for charities, Anastasi said – an ideal chance to get an “infusion of money.”
Anastasi said a diverse group of leaders will assemble in Nashville to pick winners. They will especially keep in mind communities of color and underrepresented communities as they evaluate projects.
Anastasi highlighted the “uniquely Nashville” nonprofit Girls Write Nashville, which helps connect and empower female songwriters. Last year, the organization received a $50,000 project grant in addition to a $5,000 local grant and a $2,000 bonus grant through A Community Thrives.
Also in 2019, Nashville Launch Pad received a $100,000 national grant. The organization impressed Anastasi through its commitment to serving homeless gay youths, who face difficulties and dangers.
Since the last Community Thrives initiative, Gannett has expanded the footprint of the USA TODAY Network, joining GateHouse Media to become the largest U.S. media company by print circulation.
This year, grants will be awarded based on the proposed projects’ viability, sustainability, community need and service to historically disadvantaged groups. Organizations may submit applications from Aug. 18 to Sept. 11 on A Community Thrives’ website: acom munitythrives.mightycause.com.