Black Belt News Network selected for prestigious national journalism funding program

Black Belt News Network has been selected as one of just 20 news organizations nationwide to participate in the 2026 Local Media Association (LMA) Lab for Journalism Funding, a competitive six-month program designed to help local news organizations build philanthropic support for essential community journalism.

The cohort, which runs from August through February, brings together news organizations from across the country to learn strategies for securing grants, cultivating major donors and developing sustainable funding models that support local journalism. The 2026 national cohort is made possible through support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Since launching in 2020, the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding has helped nearly 200 news organizations raise more than $40 million to support local journalism. Participants receive customized coaching, develop fundraising goals, create journalism projects to pitch for philanthropic funding, attend in-person training and have opportunities to compete for project stipends.

For Black Belt News Network Publisher Cindy Fisher, the opportunity comes at a pivotal time as the organization continues expanding coverage across rural Alabama while traditional community newspapers continue to disappear.

“Being selected for this cohort is an incredible opportunity for Black Belt News Network and, more importantly, for the communities we serve,” Fisher said. “We have proven there is a tremendous need for trusted local journalism across Alabama’s Black Belt. This program will help us build the philanthropic partnerships and long-term sustainability needed to continue serving rural communities that too often are overlooked but deserve access to quality local news.”

Black Belt News Network provides digital news coverage across six counties in Alabama’s Black Belt, focusing on accountability reporting, local government, education, economic development, public safety and community stories. The organization also produces the award-winning weekly live Black Belt Newscast and has expanded its community engagement efforts through newsletters, podcasts, live video programming and journalism education for high school students.

LMA officials said the selected organizations demonstrated a strong commitment to serving their communities through local journalism.

“These newsrooms have demonstrated a commitment to community service journalism,” said Frank Mungeam, chief innovation officer at Local Media Association. “We look forward to helping them develop philanthropy as part of their overall strategy to sustain essential local journalism.”

Duc Luu, director of journalism sustainability at Knight Foundation and a former participant in the program, said the lab provides valuable tools for news organizations seeking philanthropic support.

“As a former participant in the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding, I can attest to how helpful it was as I sought and secured my first philanthropic grants,” Luu said. “As more national and local funders are committing to supporting local journalism, this program will be an important resource for newsrooms who are deeply focused on their communities’ needs and hoping to find like-minded funders that can help them make their communities thrive.”

As part of the program, Fisher will develop a fundraising strategy and pitch journalism projects focused on issues affecting Alabama’s Black Belt. Potential reporting initiatives include investigations into environmental concerns, rural infrastructure challenges and economic development—projects that require significant reporting resources but have the potential to make lasting impacts on the region.

Fisher said the knowledge gained through the program will help ensure Black Belt News Network remains a strong source of independent local journalism for years to come.

“Rural communities deserve the same access to reliable local journalism as larger metropolitan areas,” Fisher said. “Our goal is to build a sustainable model that allows us to continue informing residents, holding public officials accountable and telling the stories that make the Black Belt such a remarkable place to live.”

The 2026 cohort includes a diverse group of news organizations from small and large markets across the country, including family-owned publishers, public media organizations and news outlets serving traditionally underserved communities.