Every Voice, Every Vote Grant Program – United States

Every Voice, Every Vote is organized by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, which first built the coalition to elevate Philadelphia’s diverse voices and inform voters ahead of the 2023 city elections. With a coalition of 130 media outlets, community nonprofit organizations, and civic-minded social media creators as partners, the project is Philadelphia’s largest-ever collaborative journalism and community engagement effort.

As the administration ramps up its efforts to address Philadelphia’s most pressing challenges, Every Voice, Every Vote partners will catalyze collaboration and build stronger connections among media outlets, community organizations, residents, and elected officials to continue an ongoing movement to encourage civic engagement, raise issues, and track progress over time.

Areas

• Projects focusing on one or more of the following issue areas: 
  • Public safety
  • Education
  • Economic opportunities
  • Affordable housing
  • Homelessness
  • Sustainability

Funding Priorities

• Media Partners
  • Preference will be given to projects that incorporate one or more of the following funding priorities:
    • Solutions, service, data, engaged, and government accountability journalism
    • Civic literacy products (policy guides, government explainers, etc.)
    • Collaborative community engagement activities with Community Partners
    • Translation services
• Community Partners
  • Preference will be given to projects that incorporate one or more of the following funding priorities:
    • Projects/events/activities focused on the following:
      • Civic education/literacy: Local government structure
      • Engaging residents in conversation/discussion on local government issues, policies, and solutions
      • Community insight/evaluation of city government initiatives, efforts, and policies
      • Civic resources and information

Funding Information

• Funding will range from $10,000 to $150,000, and the grant term will run from May 2024 through November 2025.

Types Of Grants 

• Media Partners
  • Funds may be used to develop and/or implement a specific set of programmatic activities. Projects may include but are not limited to:
    • Solutions journalism focused on key issues important to Philadelphia communities.
    • Service journalism about how Philadelphia’s government works and ways citizens can engage in civic life.
    • Data journalism that illustrates the scope and depth of key issues and tracks the progress of government action on those issues.
    • Engaged journalism that builds strong relationships between newsrooms and communities and provides a platform for communities to share their stories about key issues and local government.
    • Translation services or multi-lingual products, services, or activities.
• Community Partners
  • Funds may be used to develop and/or implement a specific set of programmatic activities. Projects may include but are not limited to:
    • Education on how the city government is structured to address these issues. This might involve explaining the roles of different branches of government (executive, legislative, etc.), relevant departments, and agencies responsible for tackling these priorities.
    • Partner with local government agencies to share information about city plans, initiatives, and opportunities for residents to get involved. This could include presentations from city officials, Q&A sessions, or updates on ongoing projects.
    • Create opportunities for residents to share their experiences, concerns, and ideas for improving the city.
    • Foster connections among residents, media, and community organizations. Encourage collaboration and networking to strengthen community bonds and collective action.
    • Translation services or multi-lingual products, services, or activities.

Additional Considerations 

• Media Partners
  • Funded projects must be fact-based and non-partisan. Funding cannot be used for opinion pieces.
  • Content produced through the funded project must be made available to audiences free of charge (outside of paywalls).
  • Content produced through the funded project must be made available for republishing on the aggregate project site.
  • Content produced through the funded project must include project branding and acknowledgment when it appears on the outlet’s own channels.
  • Content produced through the funded project must disclose support from project supporters.

Eligibility Criteria 

• Media Partners
  • Philadelphia-based media outlets of all kinds– community-based media, ethnic media, neighborhoodspecific media, legacy and traditional media, public media, producing print, digital, radio, and television content – are encouraged to apply for community-centered journalism projects related to civic life in Philadelphia.
• Community Partners
  • Organizations must be located within Philadelphia County and/or primarily serve Philadelphia residents.
  • Must be a 501(c)3 nonprofit or fiscally sponsored organization whose mission, programs, or services are designed to address the needs of underrepresented communities in Philadelphia defined by geography, identities, or issues.

For more information, visit The Lenfest Institute.