The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which has roots in the 1800s, delivers high-quality journalism that elevates community issues, holds government accountable, saves taxpayers money, and connects Wisconsin residents through impactful local storytelling.

The Journal Sentinel is building partnerships through community donations to help sustain the daily reporting that informs, enlightens, and helps residents better live their lives.

Our new Community-Funded Journalism Project is building support for stronger and sustainable coverage of the Great Lakes and the environment, city neighborhoods, education, and for more opportunities for student journalists to learn alongside our teams.

The stories and content produced by this effort will uncover what’s working and not to protect and improve some of our valuable local assets: our sources of fresh water and the environment, the systems educating our children, and the rich tapestry of our urban neighborhoods. This effort will also boost opportunities for area students to gain work experience (and media literacy skills) in our newsroom.

The additional support will help us increase our community engagement efforts and strengthen our relationships with readers. For example, the neighborhoods initiative will provide opportunities for residents to share their experiences - through traditional interviews, at in-person events, and even by working with us to produce their own stories for publication on our platforms.

This project will help fund additional reporters and allow us to provide paid internships to college and high school students interested in reporting, marketing and advertising. It will also allow the entire reporting staff to specialize more in their own categories of coverage and dig deeper for broader perspectives that more widely reflect residents' individual concerns and celebrations.

Through our fiscal sponsor, the nonprofit, 501(c)(3) Local Media Foundation, the Community-Funded Journalism Project can accept tax-deductible donations. Journal Sentinel editors will maintain editorial independence over all stories. Donors can direct contributions to the area(s) they care most about, but they will have no role in the independent journalism we produce.

For any questions, please contact:

Greg Borowski, executive editor: greg.borowski@jrn.com

Erin Richards, director of partnerships and development, erichards@gannett.com

Thank you for reading and supporting the Journal Sentinel.

The Community-Funded Journalism Project at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is designed to raise awareness about important issues in the Milwaukee region, including the Great Lakes, education, city neighborhoods, and internships. Donations to Local Media Foundation for this project are tax-deductible to the extent of the law. No goods or services are provided in exchange for contributions. Please consult a tax advisor for details. The program is administered by Local Media Foundation, tax ID #36‐4427750, a Section 501(c)(3) charitable trust affiliated with Local Media Association.

The Community-Funded Journalism Project at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

By Local Media Foundation

The Community-Funded Journalism Project at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Building support for coverage of Lake Michigan and the environment, education, city neighborhoods, and for student journalism