The New Jersey Civic Information Consortium invests in local news and information to strengthen communities across the Garden State.
The New Jersey Civic Information Consortium is a first-of-its-kind initiative established by the State of New Jersey in 2018 to support and revitalize local news and information across the state.
We fund projects that meet the information needs of underserved communities, encourage civic engagement, and strengthen local journalism through innovative and sustainable news models.
The Consortium provides financial resources to support and grow trustworthy, community-based news and information sources throughout New Jersey.
We envision a future in which every person in New Jersey has access to thriving, representative local news and information that enhances their lives and communities.
Each month, there are more than 1 million unique visits to our grantees’ websites to access the local news they need to stay informed about their communities, which we estimate is currently reaching 1 in every 4 New Jersey households. Collectively, these local news and civic information organizations generate over 18 million total visits to their websites per year. And, these numbers reflect online readership alone — our grantees also bring trusted local journalism to New Jersey residents through community events, training programs, print publications, and other direct engagement.
“Support from NJCIC has really made a difference for us over the past few years. Because of this funding, we’ve developed and provided free training programs for many students who might not otherwise have access to professional media education.”
“NJCIC funding has allowed us to double-down on our coverage of Newark school board, providing a texting service that allows busy readers to get updates from the team about issues that matter most to them.”
“Because of NJCIC funding, we’ve trained over 250 high school students in podcasting. We’ve taken our students on two field trips to see how journalism works in the real world, and we’ve allowed our students to engage with the news on a more personal and interactive level.”
“Working with NJCIC has meant that we have been able to interact with all ages in our communities and all demographics, continuing to build new ways that we’re helping our community understand what’s happening in our local government.”
“We first received funding from NJCIC 3 years ago, and it has allowed us to launch a fellowship program that has helped 9 NJ-based journalists build their careers in local journalism so far, with many more to come, we hope.”
“Thanks to the NJCIC, last year, we were able to establish a fully furnished video studio right in the heart of Trenton.”
See where Consortium-funded projects are making a difference across New Jersey.
The principles that drive our work and guide every investment we make in New Jersey's information ecosystem.
Everyone deserves trustworthy, representative sources of news and information.
Trusted, accurate, and representative news and information is empowering — and critical to a multi-racial democracy.
Collaboration, transparency, and sustained funding are key to building thriving news outlets and a more informed New Jersey.
Equity, accessibility, and justice are essential to effective grantmaking.
Learn how the Consortium is investing in the future of community information across the Garden State.