"ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (October 23, 2025) - The Poynter Institute, a global leader in journalism, and Press Forward Central Appalachia are pleased to announce the launch of a peer-focused course for funders of local news in six states in the Central Appalachia region. The effort will bring funders of local news organizations together to share lessons and best practices to accelerate their work and deepen their impact on local news and their communities."
"Sessions will be led by Poynter's Megan Griffith-Greene, who runs the Workshops for Local News Funders program, and Poynter's senior vice president Kelly McBride. But sharing of knowledge by peers is a key part of the process. "Many funders, even those doing great work, still feel isolated from others doing this work, and that they have to figure this out alone," Griffith-Greene said."
The Poynter Institute and Press Forward Central Appalachia launched a free, six-month peer-focused course for funders of local news across six Central Appalachia states. The cohort will convene funders to share lessons and best practices to accelerate their funding strategies and deepen impact on local news and communities. Poynter's Workshops for Local News Funders program, supported by the Knight Foundation, provides workshops and tools to help funders and potential funders invest in local news. Sessions will cover funding models, building trusted newsroom partnerships, stakeholder communication, and measuring impact. The pilot cohort will expand to other regions in 2026. Leadership includes Megan Griffith-Greene and Kelly McBride, and peer knowledge sharing is central to reducing funder isolation and increasing collective impact.
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