SUPPORT OUR WORK

Stronger Journalism. Stronger Communities.

Strong local journalism is a pillar of community health and well-being. It informs, connects, and amplifies the voices of diverse community members, ensuring that everyone has access to accurate, timely, and relevant news. In addition, local journalism fosters transparency and helps build trust between the public and the media, encouraging informed decision-making and civic engagement.

Strengthen The News & Information Ecosystem.

The Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative (SWMJC) is working to change this. Our mission is to strengthen the news ecosystem in Southwest Michigan by supporting accurate and equitable coverage that represents all voices. We aim to enhance diversity both in the newsroom and among the sources we feature, leading to greater equity in reporting and a deeper connection with our audience. By fostering engagement between journalists and the community, we are committed to rebuilding and sustaining trust in local news.

DID YOU KNOW?

One Local Story cost $900 (18 hours) to produce: 

  • Writer – $400 @ $50/hour (8 hours)
  • Copy Editor – $225 @ $75/hour (3 hours)
  • Photographer – $200 @ $50/hour (4 hours)
  • Production/Publication and Distribution – $75 @ $25/hour (3 hours)


When you donate a recurring gift of $50 for a year, you will help cover at least 3/4 of the cost of producing a local story. If 50 people gave $50 per month for a year, we would have $30,000 and that would pay for 33 quality local stories, which will help strengthen our community’s civic engagement.

Support Our Work

To continue this important work, we need your support. By contributing to SWMJC, you can help us ensure that local journalism remains a vital resource for the health and well-being of our community. Your donation will help us provide better coverage, promote diversity, and engage with community members in meaningful ways.

Please consider making a donation today to support our mission.

Ways to Give

Donate to SWMJC Operational Support Fund at Public Media Network (PMN) 

Support the Journalism Collaborative’s immediate operational support, which includes the infrastructure to organize our collaborative efforts such as administrative/finance support, project manager, paying for our freelance reporters/photographers, website hosting and maintenance, and many more.

If sending a check, please ensure check is made out to our fiscal sponsor, “Public Media Network” and include “Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative” on the memo line.

Mail donation checks to: Public Media Network, 359 S Kalamazoo Mall #300, Kalamazoo, MI 49007-4842.

Donate to SWMJC Component Fund at Kalamazoo Community Foundation (KZCF): Support the Journalism Collaborative by sustaining it’s efforts long-term with a gift to collaborative’s component fund that is under development established at the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. This resource will ensure resources are invested and available in perpetuity to sustain the collaborative’s projects and efforts for years to come.

Please consider giving a monthly recurring gift of $50. 

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