The Chicago-based Joyce Foundation announced today that it will fund Madison365 with a one-year, $75,000 grant to help the online media platform to expand its daily coverage of public affairs, business and culture for Madison’s communities of color.
“Madison365 is a great example of how online media can fill gaps in regional news coverage due to the economic disruption that has transformed journalism, and at the same time meet the information needs of communities often under-represented in mainstream media,” said Bill Strong, communications director at the Joyce Foundation. “By all accounts, Henry Sanders and his team have made quite an impact in a very short time, establishing Madison365 as a respected, credible media outlet producing news that might otherwise have been under-reported or not reported at all. We are pleased to support its continued growth as a valued source of news and robust platform for conversation serving communities of color in Wisconsin.”
“We are deeply grateful to the Joyce Foundation for this investment in community journalism,” said Madison365 Publisher and CEO Henry Sanders. “This grant will allow us to expand our staff and employ more writers and reporters of color, examine more important community issues and let more voices be heard. Beyond that, it’s a major vote of confidence on a national level. With the Joyce Foundation in our corner, and with advice and guidance from their experienced team, we’ll be able to leverage more funding, create more jobs for journalists of color and continue to grow and serve the community.”
Madison365 launched in August 2015 and currently reaches about 400,000 readers each month.
About The Joyce Foundation
Joyce works with grantee partners to improve quality of life, promote community vitality, and strive for a fair society. The independent, private foundation focuses much of its grant making in the Great Lakes region, while also partnering with public agencies, advocates and other funders across the country to achieve broader impact.
About Madison365
Madison365 uses excellent journalism to start conversations, find real and lasting solutions, build community, invite action and encourage emerging leaders in Greater Madison’s communities of color, and to foster dialog between members of diverse communities.
