Everything newsrooms need to know about the $20,000 Google News Initiative grants
Earlier this year, the Google News Initiative (GNI) launched partnerships with five news associations — the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), Local Independent Online News Publishers (LION), the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP) and the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN) — to provide financial grants and training to nearly 1,000 local publications across the U.S.
GNI’s program investments are intended to support smaller publishers. Around 80% of these member newsrooms have 10 or fewer employees. Each organization is receiving $7.5 million dollars to re-grant to newsrooms after participating in an association-based fundamentals lab — with over $22 million in support being delivered to newsrooms over a few years.
Members of each of these organizations are eligible to participate in a customized version of GNI’s Fundamentals Lab, which provides personalized website audits focused on audience development and revenue growth. Upon completion of the Lab, participating newsrooms are eligible to receive $20,000 in funding to apply lessons learned. The News Revenue Hub is available to help publishers make sense of the application process for each association and to offer services for news organizations looking to spend their GNI grants.
“This is an outstanding opportunity for news organizations,” said Mary Walter-Brown, founder and CEO of the News Revenue Hub. “These programs help newsrooms develop strategies to support their growth — and we are available to help newsrooms implement and execute those plans.”
How the News Revenue Hub can help
After completing either INN’s Fundamentals Lab; LION’s Sustainability Audits program; or the Transformation Tech program for NNPA, NAHN and AAN members; participating newsrooms are eligible to receive $20,000 in funding to apply lessons learned.
The funding is meant to help local publishers overcome tech challenges, and create strategies for driving audience growth, individual giving and sponsorship revenue — all things the News Revenue Hub can assist with.
To that end, the Hub has built a custom plan for GNI grantees, designed to help these newsrooms grow at each stage of the audience and membership funnel. It’s called the Hub Growth Plan.
Evan Mackinder, the Hub’s VP of Business Development, said the Hub Growth Plan (HGP) is “an ideal option for newsrooms looking to jumpstart traffic, supercharge membership and boost advertising revenue.” At $1,650 a month, with a 12-month commitment required, the HGP gives newsrooms detailed assessments and training of their SEO, their on-site calls-to-action site calls-to-action and newsletters, coupled with quick-fix recommendations and staff training to implement proven best practices that deliver results. The HGP was developed in partnership with many associations and with insight from Google News Initiative on how to maintain accelerated learnings for the long term.
Newsrooms can also sign up for the News Revenue Engine, a self-service contribution management platform tailored specifically for news organizations. RevEngine is available at different tiers — from a free starter option to a paid option that combines RevEngine features and Salesforce CRM integration.
The Hub can also help participating newsrooms with various a la carte services, including deep dives into email list building, newsletters and traffic assessments.
“We can’t wait to see the GNI programs in practice — and we can’t wait to work with participating newsrooms to help them achieve their goals,” said Mackinder. Newsrooms interested in working with the Hub or learning more about HGP can contact Mackinder at [email protected].
The deadlines and rules for each organization are different. Read below to learn more about how to apply to each program.
GNI Fundamentals Lab for INN Members
The Google News Initiative Fundamentals Lab for INN Members is a cohort-based program that provides newsrooms with insights and training in audience development, reader revenue and sponsor advertising. Up to 372 newsrooms, all INN members, can be selected to participate in this program.
INN members have the opportunity to join one of six cohorts. The training program for each cohort will happen over three months. The first INN cohort, for newsrooms with operating budgets $1M or greater, begins this month. The next cohort, for newsrooms with operating budgets below $250,000, kicks off in February 2024, with a November 30, 2023 deadline for applications.
INN members can see all the application requirements and other details here, or email [email protected] for more information.
LION Publishers Sustainability Audits and Funding
Thanks to GNI funding, news organizations that participate in LION’s Sustainability Audits program will each qualify for up to $20,000 to fund the implementation of audit recommendations. The funding will help publishers assess their business plans and prioritize steps toward sustainability by acting on strategic recommendations.
The program, supported by GNI and the Knight Foundation, will support 100 Sustainability Audits and Audit Boosters between 2023 and 2025. LION members who participated in 2022’s GNI Sustainability Audits and Funding Program may apply for this new round of funding. In total, at least 360 LION members will receive Sustainability Audit funding.
Applications for the Sustainability Audit program will re-open in early 2024. For additional information about the LION Sustainability Audits and Funding program, newsrooms can email Andrew Rockway at [email protected].
Transformation Tech: For NNPA, NAHP and AAN members
The GNI-funded Transformation Tech program is aimed at increasing the digital revenue capabilities of publishers from the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP) and the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN). The program is designed for publications with under 20 newsroom staffers.
Over the course of three months, publishers participating in the program will assess their digital revenue needs and goals, and create plans to accelerate their digital transformation, build audiences and grow digital revenue. Each publisher will also be eligible to receive $20,000 to support their technology transformation efforts.
The Transformation Tech program is already underway, with a total of six cohorts taking place from June 2023 – December 2024. Applications are taken on a rolling basis. Interested newsrooms can write to Lab Director Todd Stauffer ([email protected]) with any questions.