Today, Madison Community Foundation along with Madison365 launched, “I Am Madison,” a paid internship program that offers young journalists of color the opportunity to engage and chronicle their communities through multimedia storytelling. This is the fifth major grant from Madison Community Foundation’s 75th anniversary Year of Giving.

Supported by an $82,000 grant from Madison Community Foundation, Madison365—a nonprofit, free access, multimedia news and information platform for and by Madison’s communities of color—will publish 75 stories from Madison’s history. These stories will be produced by Madison365 Academy student journalists, recent Madison365 academy graduates, and other young contributors as part of the training and mentoring program aimed at diversifying the media and increasing job opportunities in media and communications careers for students of color.

“The Community Foundation is thrilled to support Madison 365,” said Madison Community Foundation president Bob Sorge. “It has become a vital resource for news in our community, and is the perfect partner to expand our understanding of Madison’s rich history. I’m just as excited about the 26 paid internships this will provide students of color as I am about the 75 stories that will be uncovered, researched and told.”

“Madison is a community rich in history, and a community that’s really proud of its history,” said Henry Sanders, Madison365 Publisher and CEO. “We’re excited to bring our unique perspective to that history. We’re also grateful to Madison Community Foundation for recognizing the importance of a fresh perspective on the story of this city we all love, and for trusting us to tell this story. This grant will let us tell that story well, while helping us build a strong foundation for the next generation of storytellers, journalists and media professionals.”

The stories will be published on Madison365 and collected at https://madison365.org/IAmMadison.