Dozens of local media and community leadership organizations are the recipients of a combined $10 million donated by the James B. McClatchy Foundation as part of its first “Sunrise Grants” portfolio.

The grants are part of the Foundation’s goal to sunset, or give away all of its financial resources – about $50 million – by 2030. The Foundation is named for James B. McClatchy, publisher of the McClatchy newspaper chain from 1987 to 2005 and descendant of the first editors of the Sacramento Bee and Fresno Bee.

The Foundation intends for these grants “to support a multicultural democracy centering multilingual learner students and families, build community-powered local journalism and advance the next generation of inclusive leaders,” according to a news release. 

“We know that decades-long structural inequities that have led to generational poverty and limited access to opportunity in the Central Valley cannot be fixed overnight,” said Priscilla Enriquez, CEO of the James B. McClatchy Foundation, “That is why the Foundation has decided in its sunset to elevate the Central Valley, invest all our resources in the people and places where change needs to be made, and leverage our sunset to ignite greater investments from philanthropy.”

A particular focus for the Foundation is preserving journalism. Its awarded grants support various initiatives, including training and capacity-building programs for local journalists from underrepresented communities, flexible operating support for community organizers and deep investments in grassroots media channels prioritizing diverse voices, according to the release.

“California’s Central Valley is a unique region with diverse communities and complex challenges. It is essential that the voices of all residents, particularly those historically marginalized, are heard and included in the democratic process,” said Danielle Bergstrom, executive director of the nonprofit Fresnoland Media news reporting operation. “This funding will help strengthen local journalism and support community-based organizations working to build a more inclusive and equitable public policy.” 

The awardees and amount ranges are as follows:

$500,000 – $1 million-plus

·         Central Valley Community Foundation 

·         YDN Nueva Epoca Program

·         Youth Development Network

·         Emerging Bilingual Collaborative

·         Parent Institute for Quality Education

·         First Amendment Coalition

·         Hmong Innovating Politics

$250,000-$500,000

·         Black Youth Leadership Project

·         BreakBox Thought Collective

·         Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño

·         Central Valley Journalism Collaborative

·         Central Valley Latino Leadership Academy

·         EdSource

·         Fresnoland Media

·         Social Justice Politicorps

·         Kern Sol News

·         Sacramento Area Congregations Together

Below $250,000

·         Arte Américas through the McClatchy Fresno Arts Endowment

·         African American Historical and Cultural Museum of San Joaquin Valley

·         City Ministry Network Latino Leadership Initiative

·         DRiP DROP News

·         Asian American Liberation Network

·         California Center for Civic Participation

·         California Scholastic Journalism Initiative

·         Faith in the Valley

·         San Joaquin Valley Water

·         Stanislaus Community Foundation Local Media Fund

·         Fresno State Center for Community Voices

·         Fresno State Institute for Media and Public Trust

·         Ivanhoe Sol

·         Reinvent Stockton Foundation (3 youth media organizations)