Reader Institute for Community Journalism Inc

The Reader Institute for Community Journalism (RICJ) is organized and operated to educate, advance, and inform public discourse through local, independent journalism in the Greater Chicago metropolitan area. RICJ operates and publishes the Chicago Reader, which creates and curates political and cultural coverage by and for Chicago, including highlighting underrepresented communities and stories. The Chicago Reader is at a critical point in its development with new leadership and a new roadmap with strategic priorities to increase its reach and revenue potential, shift its organizational culture, create journalism spaces, and support the community journalism ecosystem in Chicago and across the country.

The Reader Institute for Community Journalism (RICJ) operates the Chicago Reader, an independent online and print newspaper that provides political and cultural coverage for Chicago. Building on a 50-year history of serving the Chicago community, RICJ leadership recently reorganized and recommitted the organization to center racial and social justice and the inclusion of historically marginalized voices and groups. This grant provides general operating support to enable the RICJ to continue the editorial priorities of the Chicago Reader and to test and operationalize new revenue generating activities to ensure the Reader’s long-term sustainability.

The Reader Institute for Community Journalism (RICJ) operates the Chicago Reader, an independent online and print newspaper that provides political and cultural coverage for Chicago. Building on a 50-year history of serving the Chicago community, RICJ leadership recently reorganized and recommitted the organization to center racial and social justice and the inclusion of historically marginalized voices and groups. This X-Grant provides support for RICJ to explore new revenue-generating approaches that can lead to greater long-term sustainability for the Chicago Reader.

The Reader Institute for Community Journalism is a nonprofit organization that publishes the Chicago Reader and manages the Chicago Independent Media Alliance (CIMA). This grant supports strategic interventions in the lead up to CIMA's annual fundraiser, which works with small, community-based newsrooms to cultivate individual donors. The intended outcomes are greater public awareness of the role and contribution of independent journalism outlets and expanding public support that will contribute to the longer-term sustainability of these organizations.

The Reader Institute for Community Journalism is the publisher of the Chicago Reader, an independent news outlet focused on covering Chicago politics, arts, and culture. This grant provides support for the Reader's 50th Anniversary gala at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The goal of this event is to celebrate the Reader's long history of providing alternative news and information to Chicago residents, to bring the Reader's audience together in support of independent local journalism, and to mark the first year of the Reader operating as a nonprofit entity.