Lenfest and the Knight Foundation have teamed to back Press Forward chapters and help create “sustainable, scalable models” for funding local journalism.

The two groups – the Lenfest Institute for Journalism and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation – have launched the Knight Communities Network to support the work of local journalism funders.

The aim is to create a peer-to-peer learning environment for local funders and foundations working to reinvigorate local journalism as part of Press Forward, a national coalition of funders supporting local news ecosystems. It will initially launch in eight cities which are already home to former Knight newspapers and Knight Foundation community support – Lexington (KY), State College (PA), Tallahassee (FL), Charlotte (NC), Gary (IND), Miami (FL), Wichita (KAN) and Philadelphia.

“The diversity of communities and the varying stages of their Press Forward chapters position the Knight Communities Network to develop and test models for funding local journalism that can be replicated in other communities across the country,” the group said.

In Philadelphia (pictured) the Lenfest Institute has pioneered fundraising, grantmaking, and learning efforts to support a broad array of local news and information providers. The Knight Communities Network is one of several national Communities of Practice operated by the Institute, including the Lenfest News Philanthropy Network, the Lenfest Audience Community of Practice, the Statewide News Collective, the Engaged Cities community, and the Local Independent News Coalition.

The Knight Communities Network is supported by a US$2.2 million (A$3.49 million) investment from the Knight Foundation.

Lenfest Institute executive director and chief executive Jim Friedlich says the institute has learned a tremendous amount about how to support a thriving local news ecosystem since it was founded in 2016. “We have learned from – and intend to share – both our successes and our challenges.”

The US has lost almost a third of its newspapers since 2005, and in 2023 only half of counties were served by one or no newspaper, according to data from Northwestern University’s Medill Local News Initiative. The loss of local news outlets has been linked to increased political polarisation and diminished civic engagement.

At the same time, philanthropic investment and entrepreneurship in local news has increased, together with a growing recognition of the importance of local journalism in fostering informed, engaged communities.