Canopy Atlanta is participating in the NewsMatch fundraising program for the fourth year in a row. Since 2020, Canopy Atlanta’s partnership with NewsMatch has helped us make the most out of the donations we receive by matching donor gifts: All donations made to Canopy Atlanta from now through the end of 2023 will be tripled with the help of NewsMatch.
But what exactly is the NewsMatch program? Read to learn more about how NewsMatch and your support helps make the work we’re doing at Canopy Atlanta possible.
Q: What is the NewsMatch program?
A: NewsMatch works with members of the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), and is the largest collaborative fundraising campaign for nonprofit news in the country. The Institute for Nonprofit News, which manages NewsMatch, supports more than 400 independent news organizations that “tell stories that otherwise would go untold.”
The NewsMatch program was launched in 2016 when nonprofit newsrooms saw a spike in donations after the presidential election.
“What’s at stake is American democracy,” said Sue Cross in a press release. Cross is the executive director and CEO of INN. “More than 2,500 newspapers have closed in the past two decades, and mis- and disinformation has flooded many communities. Nonprofit news outlets are providing trusted information to help people build their communities and connect with each other, and hold the powerful to account.”
NewsMatch partners also include News Revenue Hub, which provides training resources to newsrooms, and the Miami Foundation’s Fund for Nonprofit News, which provides oversight for the fiscal, application, and reporting processes at NewsMatch.
Q: Who is matching these donations?
A: When it first launched in 2016, NewsMatch started off with $1.5 million in matching funds with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Now, seven years later, NewsMatch is supported by nearly 20 funders and has leveraged $6.3 million to distribute to nonprofit newsrooms.
Individual foundations can also choose to provide matching funds to individual newsrooms. This year, in addition to $13,000 from NewsMatch, Canopy Atlanta is eligible to receive $15,000 from the Loud Hound Partner Fund and $10,000 from the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, for a total of $38,000 in matching funds.
Q: How has Canopy Atlanta benefited from NewsMatch in the past?
A: In our first year partnering with NewsMatch, they matched our donations to help us raise $28,419. In 2021, Canopy Atlanta supporters raised $22,618, which was matched with $46,227 for a total of $68,845. Last year, we were able to raise $18,483, which was matched with $36,700 and received a total of $55,183.
Q: What is Canopy Atlanta’s fundraising goal?
A: This year, our goal is to raise $15,000 in individual donations. If we do so, we will receive $38,000 in NewsMatch matching funds, for a total of $53,000.
Q: How can YOU make the most impact?
A: When you donate today, your investment will go even further. From now until December 31, any contribution you make, up to $1,000, will be tripled by NewsMatch. That means your $10 becomes $30, your $25 becomes $75, and your $100 becomes $300. Any recurring monthly donation (our favorite option, because it provides predictable, sustaining revenue!) will be multiplied by 12. That means if you give a $10 monthly donation starting today, NewsMatch will triple match it for a total of $360. That’s a lot of impact!
Q: How do residents benefit from the NewsMatch campaign?
A: Canopy Atlanta has had the opportunity to tell dozens of stories about Atlanta communities this year, from the void left by the General Motors plant in Lakewood Heights, to the damage being done by Wall Street housing investors in South DeKalb, to the “Post-It Note” fatigue from community development that never happens.
Our Canopy Atlanta Fellows are paid $3,000 to take part in our community training program and report on their own communities. If you donate $1,000, that money will be tripled by national funders to cover the stipend paid to one Fellow.
Telling these stories and connecting communities is made possible by your support. By donating to Canopy Atlanta during the NewsMatch campaign, your impact on nonprofit storytelling can be tripled.
