📢 Send an email: Urge your legislators to fully fund the NJ Civic Information Consortium in the FY26 budget by joining the Free Press Action campaign.
✍🏽 Sign-on to support local news: Add your name to the growing list of advocates fighting for community-centered journalism in New Jersey.
✉️ Reach out to your Legislators directly: Use this email script to advocate for restored funding in the FY26 budget.
📬 Sign up for our mailing list: Sign up for our mailing list to stay connected and updated on the Consortium’s work.
💬 Spread the word: Share your support on social media, newsletters, or your platform. Use #FundNJCIC to amplify the message.
🗞️ What is the NJ Civic Information Consortium?
The NJ Civic Information Consortium (NJCIC) is a first-in-the-nation nonprofit created in 2018 by the Governor and Legislature to strengthen local news and civic information access in New Jersey. Without access to local news, many New Jerseyans are left in the dark about what’s happening in their own communities.
The NJCIC has been a bright light—funding local news and civic storytelling about elections, schools, businesses, and important events that help communities stay informed, connected, and empowered to make a difference. The future of local journalism in New Jersey is at a crossroads. Public funding has played a crucial role in sustaining essential news coverage, and without it, communities risk losing critical sources of information.
🚨 What’s at stake?
The proposed FY2026 budget eliminates $3 million in state funding for the NJCIC — a potentially devastating blow to local media and civic information access across the state. Without this funding, NJCIC’s critical work could cease.
🫱🏽🫲🏼 Our impact
Since launching in 2021, NJCIC has…
✔️ Granted $9M to 56 organizations in 18 of NJ’s 21 counties, with $2.7M more set to be awarded in FY25.
✔️ Empowered BIPOC-led projects, with 48% of grants going to organizations led by people of color.
✔️ Developed media pipelines for aspiring journalists of all ages, but especially in high schools, community colleges, and universities.
📁 Resources & Testimonies
-
Click here for a printable flyer!
-
Click here for a shareable flyer!
-
Click here for social media graphics!
Don’t let NJ go dark. Act now.
The New Jersey Civic Information Consortium is an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that funds initiatives to benefit the State’s civic life and meet the evolving information needs of New Jersey’s communities. Questions? Contact the Consortium via email at [email protected].