Nicholson Funding Helps Five Newark Journalists Strengthen the City’s Local News Ecosystem

The Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University has announced the five winners who are sharing $45,000 from The Newark Peer Learning and Collaboration Fund, a project funded by The Nicholson Foundation and Victoria Foundation, to strengthen the city’s local news ecosystem.

Recipients of the awards will undertake a range of news and media projects in collaboration other journalists, news organizations or community groups to address at least one of the information gaps found in Outlier Media’s report that identified Newark's information gaps needs. Among them: COVID-19, food, shelter and utilities. 

Collaboration Fund Grantees:  Left: Shennell McCloud, Karshan Ruffin. Middle: Krystle Allen. Right: Jeff Billingsley, Kimberly Valene Reid.

The recipients, their projects, and collaborators are:

Newark Community News/Jeff Billingsley, Cobblestone Multimedia: Newark Community News (NCN) will create a platform and experience for city residents to share their experiences, concerns, and solutions while they navigate life in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic through storytelling. NCN will capture video, audio, editorial, and photography content. Collaborators: Teshaun Glover, publisher of The Newark Times; Brit Harley, Community Engagement Reporter at WBGO.

Seasonal Resource and Opportunities Fair/Krystle Allen, Eyes Like Mine: The Seasonal Resource and Opportunities Fair will give individuals access to information related to adaptive technology for residents with disabilities and seniors through virtual and in-person sessions. Collaborators: Brit Harley, Community Engagement Reporter at WBGO.

Project Ready Community News/Shennell McCloud, Project Ready: Project Ready Community News will build a media/content distribution network that informs Newarkers on Project Ready’s critical areas of focus: education, civic engagement, social justice, physical and mental health wellness, and housing insecurity. Collaborators: Tommy Luna, Education Activist; Amirah Lawson, Racial and Social Justice Educator; Havana Terborg, Youth Organizer.

International Youth Organization’s ‘News 4 Newark’/Karshan Ruffin, International Youth Organization: The International Youth Organization will facilitate a project that aims to bridge the information gap between communication networks in Newark. The IYO “News 4 Newark” project will be a 30-minute news program with three or four segments per show, with a goal to air weekly on Newark’s Public Access Channel 19. Collaborators: 211 Community Impact; The H.U.B.B.

¡Oye! Project/Valene Reid, KV Communications: ¡Oye! Project will work with local organizations to create a central information bank available via text and audio on key topics in multiple languages. Reid plans to collaborate with multiple partners.

Read more about the award winners and their projects.