Minnesota’s population is growing increasingly diverse, and population growth is driven by Black, Indigenous, Latino, Asian, and Pacific Islander communities. Despite this, there exists a coverage gap by traditional media to serve these communities. In 2024, the Pivot Fund recently conducted a statewide assessment to understand how and where these communities are accessing news and information.

“The study found that communities have turned to nontraditional media sources, such as social media, digital platforms and media entrepreneurs within their communities, to access reliable news and information when they were not getting what they needed from traditional media sources in Minnesota.“

–The Pivot Fund, The Pivot Blog, “Report urges funding for Minnesota’s grassroots community news”

The report shares the following four key findings:

• Growing need and opportunity for community media to fill in gaps and protect against disinformation.
• Social media is an important source of news and information for community members of all ages but especially younger people.
• Need for better training of diverse journalists who come from the communities themselves.
• Philanthropy needs to fund local community media that already has community trust and can meet demand for culturally competent journalism.

Additionally, the report provides a call to action: To build a sustainable future for local news, we need local journalism that meets the needs of all communities. This requires:

• Philanthropic support – multi-year grants, infrasturcture
• Collaboration – connecting traditional with nontraditional
• Training programs – create community journalism pathways for youth, immigrants, and underrepresented communities
• Community hubs – build and expand local spaces (e.g., trade schools, media centers) where community journalism can be produced, shared, and accessed

Ultimately, it reveals community trailblazers working to provide inclusive coverage for all communities and neighborhoods throughout the state.

“Journalism, like democracy, is strongest when it comes from the ground up. As Press Forward Minnesota expands our efforts to sustain and enhance Minnesota’s local news ecosystem, the Pivot Fund’s research broadened our view of the outlets making positive change across the state.”

–Tim Murphy, Program Officer at McKnight Foundation; The Pivot Fund, The Pivot Blog, “Report urges funding for Minnesota’s grassroots community news”

Press Forward Minnesota, The Pivot Fund, and local news leaders presented these findings at the Minnesota Council on Foundations 2025 Annual Conference. The presentation, for your viewing, can be found below.

The Pivot Fund is a new venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing dollars into independent BIPOC-led community news. Their mission is to center and invest in BIPOC-led, community news organizations through funding, capacity building, skills-based trainings, and networking opportunities. By pairing these resources and hands-on consulting and coaching, and facilitating collaboration among diverse community news partners, The Pivot Fund fosters a more connected and culturally competent local media ecosystem.