Statement on FY27 State budget funding for the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium

Statement on FY27 State budget funding for the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium

July 1, 2026

We are thankful that the NJ Legislature has funded the NJ Civic Information Consortium (NJCIC) at $1 million in the FY27 budget. With this funding, Governor Mikie Sherrill, Senate President Nicholas Scutari, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, and the entire New Jersey State Legislature have demonstrated their continuing recognition of the urgent need to support local news and civic information. We especially thank Majority Leader Louis D. Greenwald and Senator Vin Gopal for sponsoring the FY27 budget resolutions to support NJCIC.

By funding NJCIC at $1 million, our state’s leaders are reinforcing the commitment made when the Legislature established NJCIC in direct response to the alarming loss of local news outlets, the rise in misinformation, and the proliferation of news deserts across New Jersey.

The New Jersey Civic Information Consortium entered this budget cycle seeking restoration of our $2.5 million FY26 state appropriation. While most appreciative of the $1 million appropriation, it is substantially below prior funding levels and below what is needed to sustain the level of grantmaking. During the budget process, legislators of both parties expressed strong support of local news and acknowledged the need for funding. The reduced appropriation does not diminish that work but instead reflects the difficult fiscal environment that legislators and the governor faced in finalizing this year’s budget.

Since its founding, NJCIC has awarded nearly $13 million in grants to 81 local journalism organizations across 19 of New Jersey’s 21 counties. Together with our grantees, the Consortium has built an extraordinary statewide civic information network that now reaches an estimated one in four New Jersey households, generates more than 18 million annual visits to local news sites, strengthens newsroom sustainability through our accelerator programs, and creates pathways for the next generation of journalists through our education and internship initiatives.

While this year’s appropriation presents significant challenges, legislative leaders have indicated their commitment to continuing discussions about restoring support for NJCIC. We welcome those discussions and will participate in whatever way we can to establish a recurring funding source for NJCIC. If enacted, it would provide a much more stable and sustainable foundation for local journalism in New Jersey.

We will continue working aggressively with policymakers, philanthropic partners, and stakeholders to secure additional resources. New Jersey’s need has not changed. The state ranks 49th nationally in local journalists per capita, with only 5.1 local journalists per 100,000 residents. More than 170 municipalities are considered at-risk news deserts, and many of the communities with the greatest need continue to have the least access to reliable local news and civic information.

With this FY27 state funding, NJCIC will remain a national model for strengthening local journalism. This investment keeps the promise the Legislature made to New Jersey’s citizens at a time when 65% of residents across party lines want more local news. Preserving this innovative model is a win for the administration and for all New Jerseyans. We look forward to working with our partners to ensure sustainable funding remains for NJCIC in the state budget for years to come.

We also thank our partners at Hoboken Strategy Group and Free Press Action for their partnership and support throughout this year’s budget process. We appreciate their collaboration and continued commitment to advancing policies that strengthen local journalism and civic information in New Jersey.

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