Knight Foundation to Match $25,000 in Donations to FCIR

We’re excited to announce that the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting has been included in a nationwide fundraising campaign that could raise nearly $3 million for nonprofit news organizations in the United States.

The Miami-based Knight Foundation has generously pledged to match a total of $25,000 in individual donations of up to $1,000 made to FCIR between Dec. 19 and Jan. 19. FCIR is one of 57 nonprofit news organizations selected to participate in the Knight News Match.

If we can raise $25,000 from individual donors during the one-month period starting Dec. 19, combined with the $25,000 matching grant from Knight, FCIR will receive a total of $50,000 to support our public accountability journalism in 2017.

“The initiative recognizes the essential role that nonprofit news organizations play in delivering prize-winning reporting and building stronger communities. It is a call to action for everyone who believes in the importance of quality journalism,” said Jennifer Preston, vice president of journalism for the Knight Foundation.

This new fundraising campaign comes at a critical time for nonprofit media, and the media generally, following a bruising presidential campaign in which fake news proliferated, news organizations were denied press credentials, respected independent print and online news institutions were vilified and individual journalists were called out at political events and viciously attacked online. This behavior continues during the presidential transition period.

FCIR supporters know that we have been fundraising on our own, as part of the second annual 125-Day challenge, which was scheduled to end Dec. 31. While short of our $125,000 goal, we are within striking distance of $50,000. However, the money we’ve raised up until Dec. 19 does not count toward the Knight News Match.

So as of Dec. 19, we are extending the 125-Day Challenge to Jan. 19, and directing our efforts to raising an additional $25,000 by that day in order to qualify for for the $25,000 match from the Knight Foundation.

We’ll use money we can raise from donors and the Knight Foundation to continuing funding the award-winning journalism FCIR has done for six years as Florida’s only statewide, bilingual nonprofit producing and distributing accountability journalism on multiple platforms.

Our work has included investigations about Florida government, education, the environment and climate change, law enforcement, counterterrorism, solar energy, deportations, and many other topics of critical importance to Floridians.

This year, we’ve expanded our mission to fund high-impact projects about Florida, such as this partnership with PBS NewsHour Weekend and our documentary short Unforgiven, which was distributed in partnership with TIME, The Atlantic, The Miami Herald and others; to build upon our groundbreaking reporting on national security; to launch the Islamophobia Project, which monitors and reports on Islamophobia in the United States; and to act as a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor for independent journalists and journalism organizations.

We want to do more. Your support for FCIR will help us continue these programs in 2017 and expand them. There has never been a better time to support FCIR, as any donation you make up to $1,000 between Dec. 19 and Jan. 19 will be doubled by the Knight Foundation to a maximum of $25,000. All donations to FCIR are tax-deductible.

Please help us qualify for the full $25,000 matching grant from the Knight Foundation. We’re counting on you.

Sincerely,

Trevor Aaronson
Executive Director

Please donate today via PayPal or by calling 305-520-9621.