The BenitoLink team is excited to announce $28,000 in matching funds added to our upcoming “Pledge of Champions” fundraiser. By supporting your community-based news, citizens can ensure that BenitoLink will continue to take on more reporting projects and get the answers our readers need.
This generous offer comes from NewsMatch, a collaboration between several national news foundations supporting nonprofit online news websites like BenitoLink. Our upcoming Pledge of Champions begins Nov. 1, combining this grant with $10,000 from the Community Foundation for San Benito County.
SB County residents and BenitoLink users will be asked to match this $38,000 between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31.
BenitoLink is a community supported, not-for-profit news and information website created locally, by San Benito County residents. A successful campaign means $76,000 in funding to keep your local news source online and providing factual, in-depth reporting.
NewsMatch’s goal is “to support nonprofit news organizations that play a vital role informing the public and holding those in power accountable.” This boost, which the BenitoLink team greatly appreciates, will be used to fill in some of our coverage gaps and improve the BenitoLink product. “We know the community needs to know about education, health and transportation. These subjects deserve closer attention but it takes community support to expand it,” said Rohit Sharma, BenitoLink board president.
“People are increasingly looking to nonprofit news to fill their information needs,” said Sue Cross, a representative of NewsMatch and Executive Director of the Institute for Nonprofit News. “We need to continue that momentum and build an infrastructure that supports organizations that deliver fact-based, nonpartisan, accountable journalism.”
NewsMatch is a non-partisan, joint partnership between the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), the News Revenue Hub, Democracy Fund, Knight Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation and the Miami Foundation. All NewsMatch nonprofit news sites, like BenitoLink, were previously approved based on transparent funding and being required to produce public service and/or investigative reporting. Thanks to two individual donors, BenitoLink has recently added Senior Editor Jack Foley to serve our community better.
BenitoLink is one of 100 organizations included in this outstanding national matching fund opportunity. BenitoLink board president Sharma said, “ We thank the Community Foundation for San Benito County, NewsMatch collaborators: Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), the News Revenue Hub, Democracy Fund, Knight Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation and the Miami Foundation for this opportunity.”
Note: All news organizations participating in News Match must be members in good standing of the Institute for Nonprofit News. To be a member, an organization must be a 501(c)(3) or have a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor, must be transparent about funding sources, and produce investigative and/or public service reporting. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. To learn more, visit newsmatch.org for more information.