Those of you who read Ark Valley Voice regularly, know that on Nov. 22, we announced that we had been selected by the Colorado Media Project as one of only 18 newsrooms across the state of Colorado to receive a prestigious NewsMatch grant from the Gates Family Foundation. Ark Valley Voice will receive this $5,000 grant if our readers and the local community support our local, homegrown news coverage, delivered free to the community, by donating at least $5,000 to by Dec. 31, 2019.
Here’s what Melissa Davis, of the Gates Family Foundation had to say about their support of the NewsMatch and our work: “Free and independent local news is a public good that is vital to democracy, and all Coloradans have a vested interest in supporting the evolution of local public-service journalism. Gates Family Foundation is proud to partner again with NewsMatch … to help inspire more individuals to support homegrown, Colorado news.”
When you donate any amount up to $1,000, your donation will be matched – effectively doubling your gift. Monthly donations will be multiplied by a 12x ratio; so a $6 month annual donation of $72 becomes a $144 total donation with the match.
The catch: we have to reach $5,000 in donations by Dec. 31 to get the $5,000 match. As of Monday afternoon, Dec. 9, we are at 22 percent of our goal; $1,300 of donations from wonderful people who believe in our mission as much as we do. According to the Colorado Media project this is #newsCOneeds.
Here’s what this means for our small, feisty, dedicated newsroom. It means three months of operating expenses to help maintain our level of operation. All of it will go to the salaries of our staff, who work full time, part time and as stringers covering their specific areas of expertise.
Our reporters cover their own expenses; we work on our own computers. None of us even ask for travel funds, as we jaunt back and forth across the county covering news and events from Granite and Twin Lakes, up into Lake County, through Buena Vista, and on down to Salida, past Howard and beyond; even bringing you the local impact of national stories.
As many of you know, Ark Valley Voice operates on a shoe string. We work out of donated office space. We don’t make our (former) corporate salaries and no where near the median county income. We do what we do because we believe in our mission, that “Truth Should Have a Voice”. We believe that the role of journalism and the media is more important at this moment than at any time since the Revolutionary War. Every single person associated with Ark Valley Voice is committed to this truth: that the role of a free press is imperative to our democracy.
This year Ark Valley Voice — which provides its services free to the community — is asking for help from our readers, so that we can meet this fund-raising goal and qualify for this grant. Your help means that we can proceed into 2020 with a renewed operating base and an unwavering commitment to the mission that “Truth Has A Voice.” Donate here.
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