NAMME Receives Challenge Fund Grant

Nov. 20, 2005

NAMME is a proud Challenge Fund for Journalism III grant recipient. The matching grant program funded through the consortium of The Ethics and Excellence in Journalism, Ford and John S. and James L. Knight Foundations was designed to provide assistance to non-profit journalism organizations in the United States that are in need of capacity building assistance and a larger, diversified funding base.

The grant will assist NAMME with board development as well as establish an on-going individual giving program. NAMME’s goal is to raise $50,000 by May 31, 2007. That achievement will make us eligible for a significant matching grant that will help put NAMME on a stronger financial footing. In addition, success will mean that we are eligible for much larger matching grant in 2009.

In the two-and-a-half years the Challenge Fund for Journalism has been in existence, 31 journalism organizations have been or are currently part of the initiative. Grantees have in common the mission of advancing the field of journalism by supporting the needs of specialized and underserved journalism populations. Between 2004 and 2007, the Challenge Fund for Journalism will have:

• Raised over $4.6 million in contributions
• Built the capacity of 31 journalism organizations

This includes $1.8 million in contributions from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation, The Ford Foundation, and The James S. and John L. Knight Foundation, as well as over $2.8 million leveraged in individual donations.

The recipients included in this third round of the Challenge Fund for Journalism initiative are:

• Associated Press Managing Editors (APME)
• Association for Education in Journalism and Communication
• Association for American Editorial Cartoonist
• Center for Investigative Reporting
• Investigative Reporters and Editors
• Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS)
• National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ)
• National Association of Minority Media Executives (NAMME)
• National Conference of Editorial Writers
• National Press Foundation
• Online News Association
• Society of American Business Editors and Writers
• Society of Environmental Journalists
• Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)
• Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse