This is the second grant from philanthropists Eric and Wendy Schmidt to support the work of The NPR Midwest Newsroom. The new grant will boost the newsroom's investigative journalism efforts and local coverage.
NPR announced on Wednesday that it received a $5.5 million grant from philanthropists Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation to expand the network's collaborative journalism hubs over the next three years. This includes $1 million to support expansion of The Midwest Newsroom, which supports St. Louis Public Radio (STLPR).
The Midwest Newsroom is an enterprise and investigative reporting collaboration headquartered at KCUR, that includes STLPR, Iowa Public Radio, Nebraska Public Media and NPR. Its mission is to produce news coverage with impact for and about the region, and to help build capacity for rigorous multimedia journalism among its partners.
“This funding is a crucial investment for residents of our region who deserve the serious, deeply reported investigative journalism that is the hallmark of the Midwest Newsroom's work,” said STLPR Interim News Director Brian Heffernan. “This collaboration has been essential for St. Louis Public Radio, enabling our newsroom to produce more ambitious investigative reporting.”
A previous grant from the Schmidt Family Foundation helped launch The Midwest Newsroom in 2021 to support a team of five journalists across the partner stations. They have since produced award-winning journalism and public service investigations, including stories recognized with prestigious regional Edward R. Murrow Awards.
The new grant will support the growth of Midwest and California newsrooms, and allow them to connect more public media journalists, develop new partnerships, and invest in content that meets the needs of local audiences. The grant will also strengthen local news coverage in Nebraska and Iowa as part of The Midwest Newsroom.
The new three-year grant will allow the newsroom to add three new positions:
- An audience and innovation editor will help the newsroom reach new audiences, engage with communities across the region, study the impact of the newsroom's work, explore potential new partnerships, and consider new digital content initiatives.
- A second investigative reporter will expand the newsroom's capacity to report on Iowa and Nebraska and to collaborate with reporters at those stations.
- Investigative journalism fellowships for early and mid-career journalists seeking to develop into investigative reporters in a multimedia environment that emphasizes collaboration. Each 12-month fellowship is designed to bring more journalists into the field of investigative journalism, particularly in the Midwest.
“This generous grant from Eric and Wendy Schmidt allows us to grow in new and exciting directions, as we continue to deliver in-depth news coverage for and about our region,” said Holly Edgell, managing editor of The Midwest Newsroom.
NPR noted that Eric and Wendy Schmidt have been active philanthropists since 2006, when they started the Schmidt Family Foundation to address challenges facing communities around the world.
Since 2020, Eric and Wendy Schmidt have provided $10.2 million in gifts to support NPR’s Collaborative Journalism Network and enable public radio stations to reach and serve more communities with local, multi-platform public service journalism.