Inklink ready to reinvest $25K journalism grant into civic engagement projects

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MANCHESTER, NH — The Facebook Journalism Project and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism are pleased to announce the first wave of 2020 Community Network grants which have been awarded to news organizations around the country, including ManchesterInklink, recipient of a $25,000 project grant.

News organizations will use these grants to support projects aimed at building community and new paths to sustainability in local news.

According to Ink Link founder and publisher Carol Robidoux, the grant will be used for two main initiatives — to expand and promote the Inklink’s recently launched VIP (Virtual Inklink Patron) membership program and to offer journalism boot camp sessions to promote community journalism and civic engagement.

“We are excited about the future of local journalism,” said Robidoux. “This kind of acknowledgment — and investment — in the local news economy helps to validate our mission, which is to connect with our community in new and relevant ways. In 2020 we aim to engage with readers more deeply, elevate the conversation around local issues more authentically, and create something that is as useful as it is unique to the current newscape.”

This diverse group of Community Network grantees are creating initiatives that shift the focus from coverage for communities to coverage with communities, enabling greater collaboration between news organizations and those they aim to serve.

In addition to funding, Community Network grant recipients will be matched with mentors to receive guidance on specific program outcomes, from industry leaders as well as former or current participants in the Facebook Journalism Project’s Local News Accelerator programs.

Click here to learn more about all 30 Community Journalism Grant projects.


InkLinkVIPThe Funded Project:

Support for Manchester Ink Link’s VIP [Virtual Inklink Patron] membership program and citizen journalism boot camp, initiatives that place community voices at the heart of coverage.

Grant Amount:

$25,000

About the Project:

“Independent publishers struggle with growing their news organizations beyond themselves. After 5.5 years our site has proven itself vital and capable of generating income from ad revenue.  To continue growing our relevance and reach we have launched a membership program aimed at building community in real-time.

“We also have launched a pilot for a citizen journalism boot camp which will provide a series of free/paid-for opportunities for readers and other stakeholders to take more ownership over their community and become news “activists” (rather than passively consuming news). Each boot camp series will provide training for: those in addiction recovery to increase advocacy opportunities; students interested in journalism; nonprofits to share their mission; immigrant/refugee advocates, etc.
“The plan is for boot camp to sustain itself through organizations willing to pay for the service to cover the cost of instruction and compensation for participants. One such example: Our successful pilot for this initiative was funded by a $5,000 grant through HOPE for NH Recovery and was held on Jan. 18-19. A second recovery-focused boot camp is already on the calendar for April.
“We will use this generous grant over the next six months to expand and promote both our VIP program and our Community News Initiative with the goal of getting more readers to become writers, more students to become journalists, and more citizens to become advocates for those whose voices have been missing from the conversation and watchdogs of the powers that be.”
Carol Robidoux, Publisher and Chief Instigating Officer, Manchester Ink Link

About this Author

Carol Robidoux

PublisherManchester Ink Link

Longtime NH journalist and publisher of ManchesterInkLink.com. Loves R&B, German beer, and the Queen City!