For over a decade, Substantial has been committed to providing the coverage that’s most important to our readers and communities of color across our state. Based on our conversations with readers, local leaders and the generations that follow in their footsteps we need to preserve the rich history and body of work of our community’s Substantial heroes and sheroes.

We are setting out to launch our Substantial Legends series, a project which is a long-form feature series to document the life, legacy and work of some of North Carolina's most influential and Substantial African American leaders. The series will feature both written long-form articles and video interviews with prominent North Carolina political figures, community leaders, and advocates that have been champions in NC Black communities and leading voices regarding affordable housing, education, Black entrepreneurship and public policy.

To do this right, we need your help. If you believe that Black local journalism and media outlets must play a greater role in championing our narratives and documenting our history, please donate to the Substantial Legends Campaign via the Local Media Foundation. Contributions to this fund will help pay for the news and storytelling resources needed to ensure these stories are told in a way that only Substantial can tell them. We are Substantial and so are our community legends.

The 2022 Local News Fund is a program administered by Local Media Foundation (LMF), a 501(c)(3) organization affiliated with Local Media Association. The purpose of the program is to allow independent and family-owned news organizations to solicit tax-deductible donations from their communities for journalism projects that focus on critical local issues. Contributions to this program are tax-deductible to the full extent of U.S. law; please consult a tax advisor for details.