Eden Prairie Local News (EPLN) is a founding member of the newly launched Metro Nonprofit News Network (MNNN), which recently announced a $200,000, two-year grant from the McKnight Foundation. The funding will support infrastructure and training to establish and sustain community-owned, nonprofit newsrooms in suburban areas across the Twin Cities.
EPLN’s publisher and CEO, Steve Schewe, is a member of the MNNN board by virtue of his EPLN position. “Community leaders in towns that have lost their newspapers since the pandemic are looking for new approaches to reporting local news,” he said. “MNNN aims to inspire these leaders to found local newsrooms that reflect the unique qualities of their towns while offering a network of mutual support from other newsrooms. We’re in this together, and we’re grateful for McKnight Foundation’s funding.”
In addition to EPLN, the two other founding news organizations of MNNN are Woodbury News Net and the Prior Lake News Compass. Over the two-year grant, MNNN aims to identify and support the launch of three additional community newsrooms and build a diverse and collaborative project board.
“When a community loses its newspaper, there is no longer a comprehensive source where local residents can find information on decisions being made by elected officials, its schools and city government,” said Laurie Hartmann, publisher of Prior Lake News Compass. “Having access to information about local news and events encourages participation and fosters a greater sense of belonging among those who live there. Collectively, that’s our goal.”
Community grassroots involvement, including individual donors and local business support, is essential for the long-term success of these newsrooms, MNNN stated in a news release. The organization plans to help member newsrooms grow their audiences, increase revenue, and boost civic engagement across the metro area. It plans to do so through shared resources and strategic partnerships.
MNNN will partner with national journalism organizations such as the Institute for Nonprofit News and the Tiny News Collective. “We look forward to supporting the flowering of these local news outlets in the suburbs of the Twin Cities,” said Amy L. Kovac-Ashley, executive director of Tiny News Collective. “This partnership is an important part of our geographic growth and provides an important opportunity to build local infrastructure to support the sustainability of these local news outlets now and long into the future.”
The Eden Prairie Community Foundation has played a key role as a catalyst and financial sponsor for the MNNN network. MNNN also noted in its press release that “Eden Prairie Local News has shown exceptional leadership in sharing its expertise and helping other Twin Cities communities establish their own community-owned nonprofit newsrooms.”
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