Like many community media outlets, the Cottage Grove Sentinel is making health-related news about the coronavirus crisis free to the public. But it’s not free to us. Our team of journalists working in our community every day, tracking down and verifying information about this disease and its impact on the region. And, they’re doing it a time when the global pandemic has brought the local economy to a near standstill — and advertising along with it. That new financial challenge means the Cottage Grove Sentinel must find new ways to provide important local news and information as a public service during this unprecedented crisis.

Many of you already subscribe, and for that we are grateful. But we now are also asking subscribers and non-subscribers to consider making tax-deductible donations earmarked for our coverage of this ongoing health crisis.

If you believe local, trusted information and reporting is critical, especially during these challenging times, please consider donating to help keep Cottage Grove Sentinel able to provide reporting, coverage of local events and breaking news, and features that highlight the people and moments that define our community. Contributions to this fund will help pay for news resources to cover the impact of the virus on our local communities, information on the trend in positive cases, testing sites, businesses closures and re-openings, and the impact to on students during the state ‘Stay at home’ order.

With each reader contribution of $25 or more, we’ll provide free digital advertisements for the nonprofit you designate – or if you don’t have one in mind, we’ll select one for you. It works like this:

• $25-$49 donation – the nonprofit of your choice receives one week of free advertising in the Cottage Grove Sentinel;

• $50-$74 donation – the nonprofit of your choice receives one week of free advertising in the Cottage Grove Sentinel, and on cgsentinel.com;

• $75-$99 donation – the nonprofit of your choice receives one week of free advertising in the Cottage Grove Sentinel, on cgsentinel.com, and on our social media platforms;

• $100-$199 donation – the nonprofit of your choice receives two weeks of free advertising in the Cottage Grove Sentinel, on cgsentinel.com, and on our social media platforms;

• $200+ donation – the nonprofit of your choice receives one full month of our six-platform print/digital advertising package ($700 value);

After you make your donation, please email us at gmanly@cgsentinel.com with the name of the nonprofit you’d like us to provide with free advertising.

Thank you for your support of the Cottage Grove Sentinel during this critical time!

The Cottage Grove Sentinel - COVID-19 Local News Fund is a program administered by Local Media Foundation, tax ID #36‐4427750, a Section 501(c)(3) charitable trust affiliated with Local Media Association. LMF is raising funds for educational activities; specifically, to educate the public on COVID-19 issues. LMF is providing funds to this news organization and many others to support this important educational project. All money raised by this effort will go directly to support COVID-19 reporting, to make sure the public has essential facts on this important topic.

Cottage Grove Sentinel - COVID-19 Local News Fund

By COVID-19 Local News Fund (via Local Media Foundation)

Cottage Grove Sentinel - COVID-19 Local News Fund

Give to support Cottage Grove Sentinel as we cover the coronavirus crisis in our communities.