Illinois Times is the recipient of a $500,000 grant from a national venture philanthropy organization dedicated to improving local news.
The American Journalism Project announced the grant on Tuesday with the intent Illinois Times will use it to expand its business capacity and build the financial foundation for its next phase of growth as a nonprofit local news organization. The grant will be distributed during the course of three years.
“Illinois Times has spent 50 years earning its community’s trust and building deep connections to the people it serves,” Sarabeth Berman, CEO of the American Journalism Project, said in a statement. “We’re investing in what comes next: a future where more people across central Illinois can turn to it every day for reporting that answers their questions and connects them to the place they call home.”
AJP is not new to Springfield: Research led by the project in 2024-25 identified demand for more local coverage and Illinois Times as the region’s most trusted news source. Longtime Illinois Times owner Fletcher “Bud” Farrar took those findings and in April transitioned his private company into the nonprofit news organization Local Journalism Matters, with the intent of expanding the operation to include daily digital publication of news the community needs. The free weekly print edition will continue to feature long-form and investigative reporting and robust arts and entertainment coverage.
“We want Illinois Times to be the news source residents turn to in order to better understand their community so they can make informed decisions that affect their lives,” said Kate McKenzie, CEO of Local Journalism Matters. “Becoming a nonprofit has opened a new way for our community to support that work. The American Journalism Project’s investment will help us build the fundraising program to bring more reporting to our readers and sustain it over time.”
The AJP investment grew out of the company’s Local Philanthropy Partnerships work with the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln, which leads Press Forward Springfield. Together, the two organizations studied greater Springfield’s news needs from 2024 to 2025, which helped inform a path toward nonprofit ownership. The findings also helped guide Press Forward Springfield’s efforts to mobilize local philanthropic support for the publication’s transition to nonprofit ownership and its plans to expand reporting throughout the region.
The CFLL has also committed $500,000 over three years to Local Journalism Matters, with support from local donor-advised funds and other philanthropic resources. That ongoing commitment to Local Journalism Matters includes helping the news organization build additional local philanthropic support.
AJP’s $500,000 grant will build on that local commitment, bringing the combined investments to $1 million in support of the organization’s transition and long-term sustainability. AJP’s investment will support a director of development and a corporate engagement manager as the organization builds membership, major gifts and local foundation support. The funding will also be paired with strategic guidance and organizational support to help sustain Illinois Times’ expanded journalism.
“Local news is essential to the informed, connected communities we work to support,” Stacy Reed, chief program officer at the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln and director of Press Forward Springfield, said in a statement. “Through Press Forward Springfield, we brought local philanthropy together around a shared opportunity: helping a publication people already trust do more for our region. With local and national philanthropy working together, we’re helping Illinois Times build a stronger, more sustainable future.”
“Strong communities depend on access to trusted, independent local news,” added John Stremsterfer, president and CEO of the Community Foundation. “We’ve seen firsthand the important role Illinois Times plays in keeping our communities informed and connected. This investment will help ensure that the publication continues to serve Central Illinois for generations to come.
AJP hopes Illinois Times’ transition is a useful lesson for other newsweeklies and news organizations serving small-city markets. By building philanthropic support alongside its existing earned revenue, the organization is pursuing a model that builds on decades of community trust while creating capacity for more local journalism.
