The Rural News Fund (RNF) has announced its first multi-year cohort, investing in eight local news organizations serving communities across Central Appalachia.
Launched in 2025 through Press Forward’s Central Appalachia Chapter, the Rural News Fund is led by the Appalachia Funders Network, with Invest Appalachia serving as fund manager, and support from national partners including Press Forward and the MacArthur Foundation. The initiative aims to strengthen rural journalism at a time when many Appalachian communities face significant gaps in local news coverage. The initiative is grounded in the understanding that access to reliable local information is essential infrastructure for civic engagement, community decision-making, and public accountability.
Through a two-year program, participating organizations receive $50,000 in grant funding to build newsroom capacity, along with coaching, peer learning, and business advisory support. In year two, outlets may access additional flexible, repayable capital to help diversify revenue and move toward long-term sustainability.
The inaugural cohort includes news organizations serving communities in Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, reflecting a shared effort to strengthen the region’s information ecosystem and support locally rooted journalism.
In rural communities, local news is a cornerstone of civic engagement, local economies, and cultural identity. It is often the first line of response when disaster hits, translating complex information and keeping people connected when systems are under strain. Day to day, it supports accountability, social participation, and local decision-making by giving people reliable information about what’s happening in their communities. This is not a niche issue. We’re investing in rural journalism as both a civic and economic necessity, using flexible and creative catalytic capital to help these organizations sustain their work in a rapidly changing landscape. – Andrew Crosson, CEO of Invest Appalachia
