Between now and Jan. 19, the foundation will match dollar-for-dollar up to $1,000 in new individual donations to the organizations, including Mississippi Today. Donations can be made here.
The foundation will match up to $25,000 in total donations for each participating news organization during the time period.
The newsrooms selected to participate in the program, called Knight News Match, were announced Monday. Knight provided Mississippi Today with grant earlier this year to help support the launch of the nonpartisan, digital-only news site covering Mississippi government, politics and public policy issues.
“Quality journalism matters. It is a buttress against the torrent of fake news we’ve seen explode in the past year, and it can help rebuild the diminishing trust many people have in society’s core institutions,” said Jennifer Preston, vice president for journalism at Knight Foundation, said in a post on the foundation’s website.
Mississippi Today launched in March to aggressively cover state and local government affairs and community issues, including education, health, economic development, poverty and race, as well as Mississippi’s social culture.
Our staff of 11 reporters aim to produce high-quality reporting on issues of statewide significance in hopes of delivering impact and increasing citizen awareness and greater civic engagement.
In the almost nine months since launch, Mississippi Today has broken a number of major stories and reported from every region of the state. Our news stories are shared for free and are regularly picked up by news outlets around the state.
“This opportunity is timely, given that many individuals make final decisions on charitable giving in the last few weeks of the year,” said Fred Anklam Jr., a Mississippi Today co-editor, of Knight’s matching gift program.
Anklam added that the fundraising initiative is a rare opportunity to help donations go twice as far in supporting Mississippi Today’s mission.
To support to Mississippi Today, please visit our donation page. You can also mail donations to Mississippi Today, 750 Woodlands Parkway, Suite 100, Ridgeland, MS 39157.