💰 Don’t miss these deadlines
It’s not just Tax Day on the horizon. This is also a busy time of year for fellowship and grant opportunities, including several with deadlines over the next few days:
- The Maynard 200 Fellowship is a tuition-free professional development program for leaders, storytellers, frontline editors/managers, and media entrepreneurs of diverse backgrounds. (Deadline: March 31)
- The McGraw Fellowship for Business Journalism provides experienced journalists with grants up to $15,000 and the editorial support needed to produce deeply reported enterprise and investigative business stories. (Deadline: March 31)
- The Transatlantic Media Fellowship offers up to $3,500 for an independent transatlantic reporting project. Need inspiration? Here’s a transportation series that LION member BikePortland produced during a reporter’s trip to Europe. (Deadline: March 31)
- The IRE23 Fellowships offer free registration, membership and a travel stipend for this summer’s Investigative Reporters & Editors conference in Orlando. (Deadline: April 3)
We’re also still accepting applications for two part-time job opportunities here at LION:
The deadline to apply for these roles is April 9.
Now here are other 11 other resources and upcoming opportunities for independent publishers:
1. Make a play for corporate sponsorships. Join the Lenfest Institute for the third and final workshop in their corporate giving series. (TODAY)
2. Make your work more efficient at this SCORE workshop on how to use Google Workspace tools as a small business. (April 4)
3. Prepare to apply for a small business loan at this one-hour workshop with a small business expert. (April 13)
4. Enter a profile story in a national contest. Narratively is seeking surprising, awe-inspiring stories about one-of-a-kind people or groups for its 2023 Profile Prize. The submissions must be original, unpublished work. (Deadline: April 14)
5. Learn how to partner with a local college or university at one of six training and organization sessions around the U.S. (April 14 – August 6)
6. Talk newsletter growth, partnerships and revenue with other publishers at this ONA Newsletter Professionals Meetup. (April 20)
7. Get a jump start on 2024 election coverage at next month’s Campaign Journalism Conference in Chicago. (April 26-27)
8. Cover Small Business Month in May. Stacker has pulled together a bunch of data-driven small business stories that publishers can republish for free.
9. Earn trust with your audience by following these transparency tips in your day-to-day journalism.
10. Get support implementing Google Analytics 4. The Google News Initiative is offering monthly webinars and individual office hours to help publishers migrate to GA4.
11. Become an accounting and financial planning pro. We’ve been talking about money management in the LION newsletter this month, and here are a few highlights:
- Prepare to file your business taxes with help from one of these free or paid online courses from the Small Business Administration.
- Find small business support or mentorship in your community.
- Get a step-by-step walkthrough of how to use LION’s financial planning workbook in this News Entrepreneur Academy course. (LION members only)
- Take a self-guided course on accounting basics or financial management for news entrepreneurs. (LION members only)
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What we’re reading
Budget math. What it takes to turn a beloved small-town news site into a sustainable business, not just a labor of love. (Livin’ On a Prayer)
Newsletter business. How independent publishers can start to monetize their email newsletters. (Inbox Collective)
Survey says. How publishers can use audience surveys to test their assumptions and better serve their communities. (Indie Publisher)
New chapter. What’s next for Alberto Ibargüen after 18 years leading the Knight Foundation. (The New York Times)
Friend group. Why peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns are a good option for small nonprofits. (Blue Avocado)
LIONs in the news
MLK50 editor and publisher Wendi C. Thomas is finally getting the job title she’s been chasing: reporter.
“I’ve spent virtually all of the last 2.5 years focused on raising money and organizational operations,” Wendi says, “and it’s paid off.”
MLK50 received a $2 million grant from the Ford Foundation earlier this year and expanded its leadership team by hiring chief strategy officer Andrea Hart and development director Lupita Parra.
Those additions are making it possible for Wendi to return to her roots as a reporter. “I’ve been itching to get closer to the journalism,” she says, “and while I’m not all the way back, I’m much, much closer than I’ve been in a long while.”
In other LION member news…
- Documented has published an audience research report based on interviews with more than 1,000 immigrants of Chinese and Caribbean descent.
- El TĂmpano is hiring a senior reporter/editor, and PublicSource is hiring an audience growth and engagement producer.
- Long Beach Post publisher David Sommers is moving north for a new challenge in Oregon, where he’ll become publisher of the recently launched Rogue Valley Times.
- Queerency is a finalist in the Top Creator Division of the Next Challenge for Media & Journalism.
- Richland Source is expanding its coverage area north and hiring another full-time staff reporter thanks to sponsorship support from six local businesses.
How to reach us
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