The Propel Initiative
For the Future of Local News
Programs under the Propel Initiative:
The Propel Regional Training Series
The Propel Regional Training Series is the Maynard Institute’s intensive, weekend-long training workshop for statewide skills advancement and leadership training. Part of the Calfornia Propel Local News Initiative, in partnership with the California Local News Fellowship, the Propel Regional Training Series aims to support the media professionals who power California’s local newsrooms.
The Fire Up Program
The Fire Up Entrepreneurship Program, as part of the Propel Initiative, will train up to 16 people representing eight news organizations in revenue, audience, product and community with a focus on ensuring sustainability. Participants will work with experts in business, audience strategy and other topics.
The California Local News Editing Fellowship
In partnership with the California Local News Fellowship program, the Maynard Institute will support five reporters or producers to move into editing roles. We will provide intensive skill-building training and mentoring before and during their newsroom terms, in the craft of editing but also the art of managing people.
The Propel Initiative
For the future of California Local News
California’s local news industry is in crisis, with a quarter of the State’s news publications disappearing between 2004 and 2019. Many California counties now have a single local news source (or none at all), leaving communities vulnerable to disinformation.
To combat this, California has pioneered two initiatives, the California Local News Fellowship through UC Berkeley Journalism and the Propel Initiative, to strengthen local journalism by placing early-career reporters and editors in newsrooms for two year fellowships and training newsroom leaders to fortify a sustainable, diverse news ecosystem. Together, these programs will support 100 newsrooms annually.
Since launching in 2023, the California Local News Fellowship program has placed more than 75 journalists in full-time public service reporting roles in newsrooms throughout the State. The first group of fellows produced nearly 4,000 stories in their first year alone.
The Propel Initiative is an effort to strengthen California’s multi-lingual media ecosystem, ensuring long-term sustainability of local public service journalism for underserved localities.
The Propel Initiative will distribute grants, provide training and build infrastructure to help smaller outlets grow and better serve California’s diverse communities.
Led by the Maynard Institute in partnership with American Community Media, California Black Media and Latino Media Collaborative, the Propel Initiative provides resources to augment business models, connect with audiences and build robust newsrooms that will ensure a healthy democracy for California.
Your support matters
Donating to the Maynard Institute helps newsrooms and professionals improve their reporting, workplaces, and the communities they serve.