American Journalism Project and Google News Initiative renew partnership to support audience growth for local news organizations
Renewed partnership reflects shared commitment to helping nonprofit local news organizations reach and serve more people
WASHINGTON — June 4, 2026 — The American Journalism Project today announced renewed support for a program to help local news organizations grow their audiences and build long-term sustainability. The Audience & Sustainability Program, supported by the Google News Initiative, will provide training, strategic guidance, and direct access to Google expertise on analytics, distribution and community engagement.
The accelerator program builds on a successful first year, in which participating organizations strengthened audience development strategies, expanded internal capacity and achieved measurable audience growth. Participating organizations grew monthly average unique visitors by a median 26% in 2025.
“Audience growth is about more than increasing reach — it’s about ensuring more people have access to trusted local news and information that serves their communities,” said Sarabeth Berman, CEO of the American Journalism Project. “We’re proud to continue this partnership with Google News Initiative and help the organizations in our portfolio deepen audience engagement, strengthen sustainability and expand their impact.”
Through the lab, participating organizations will make a data-informed bet to dramatically grow their audiences — identifying and prioritizing high-value target audiences, analyzing how those audiences discover and engage with their journalism, and designing focused marketing experiments across key channels, from search and social to newsletters and referrals. Organizations will also connect with peers across the portfolio to share audience development strategies and insights.
“Local journalism plays an important role in helping communities stay informed,” said Chrissy Towle, Director of News Partnerships at Google. “We’re excited to continue working with the American Journalism Project to support nonprofit local news organizations as they strengthen audience engagement strategies and connect more people with trusted local information.”
Since its launch in 2019, the American Journalism Project has raised over $250 million to support the growth of nonprofit local news, including more than $75 million from local philanthropy. The organization has invested in 54 nonprofit local news organizations, and its active portfolio serves 100 communities across 37 states. In 2025, organizations in AJP’s portfolio generated $160 million in revenue, up 28% from the previous year.
About the American Journalism Project
The American Journalism Project is the first venture philanthropy organization dedicated to local news. We make catalytic investments in nonprofit news organizations and partner with communities to launch new outlets. Since 2019, we’ve invested in dozens of local news outlets, providing them with capital, strategic guidance and operational expertise to grow their reach and impact. By strengthening and scaling a sustainable field of local news organizations, we are working to ensure that people have access to the trusted, independent local journalism they need to participate in civic life.
Media contact: Roshni Neslage, Head of Communications, American Journalism Project, media@theajp.org, 954-526-1565