Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation

The mission of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation is to promote and support excellent, sustainable community journalism in the Coachella Valley. The nonprofit foundation identifies needs in the local journalism ecosystem and seeks out grants and donations from individuals and foundations to fulfill those needs.

A free and vibrant press is one of the cornerstones of democracy. Local news outlets inform the public, hold elected officials accountable, and provide a forum for civic debate.

The traditional business model of local news enterprises - newspapers, local TV broadcasters, and community radio stations - has been disrupted by technology and battered by economic downturns, including the COVID-19 pandemic. In some cases, corporate interests have neglected or stripped away resources from our local news outlets, diminishing the quality and quantity of their work. The events of 2020 have brought many of these pressures to a head.

The Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation aims to improve and expand the work of news organizations in the Coachella Valley to create a better community for all. In the process, we hope to help create new, sustainable models for local journalism.

Testimonials

"I wanted to reach out again and give you my appreciation for the assistance you have given our news operation. With the grant money that the foundation so graciously gave to us we were able to provide an exclusive look into the signing and ceremony of the PACT Act, a bill that greatly benefitted veterans (specifically one family that lived here in the Coachella Valley) that were affected by burn pits in the middle east. This was not a budgeted trip for us but, because of the money received, we were able to cover it on location the day it happened and get exclusive real-time interviews with the family, our congressman (Dr. Ruiz, who sponsored the bill), and other people involved. This type of coverage is important to our viewers and gives us a presence when important issues like this are decided. In this day and age of multiple media options and the stagnant growth of traditional media, The Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation plays an important role in assisting media in continuing to provide the level of reporting that viewers, listeners, and readers demand." - Jerry Upham

"When The Desert Sun was in danger of losing its opinion editor for good because of corporate cost-cutting, the community stepped in. Not long after that, I had the honor of being the first opinion editor supported - quite literally - by the public we serve. Donations to the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation allowed me to be hired and paid my salary. I learned a lot about the valley in the year I spent in the role, though I only scratched the surface. My successor, Nicky Loomis, has done a fantastic job keeping the opinion section thriving as a platform for diverse local opinions and a place for the editorial board to speak truth to power…. I'm glad the foundation and its donors have continued to support the opinion editor role." - Eric Hartley (Desert Sun Opinion and Engagement Editor, 2021-2022; currently Desert Sun News Editor)

"Having my role supported by CVJF means everything - not only would the editorial pages not exist if it weren't for CVJF - the civic dialogue in our valley would go unheard. The opinion pages are a gift. They enable civil, measured, well-thought-out debate, which is critical for communities to make progress, understand different perspectives and learn new things. At a time when local news voids are continuing to grow across the country at an alarming rate, CVJF is bucking the trend and helping local media organizations to provide readers with the news they need. The opinion pages serve as a mode of deepening understanding of the news by providing thoughtful context, varied perspectives on any particular issue and fact-checked arguments that promote critical thinking. I'm proud to work as the opinion editor to enable this dialogue to exist in the Coachella Valley." - Nicky Loomis (Desert Sun Opinion and Engagement Editor, 2022-present)