9/15/26 – The Maine Independent News Collaborative (MINC) is pleased to announce its first funding opportunity for collaborative reporting projects. This open call welcomes funding applications for collaborative reporting projects that address issues that matter to Maine communities and build deeper connections between newsrooms and community members working on or affected by the issues being covered.
What we’re looking for
Pitches will be accepted for projects exploring cross-cutting issues that impact multiple communities in Maine. Pitches could include, for example: rural issues, health, conservation, environment, Maine’s changing economy, issues affecting immigrants, etc.
Ready to apply? Fill out the application by October 27. (Download the question list to help you plan.)
What does “deeper connections between newsrooms and community members” mean?
Journalism is only relevant when it meets the needs of the people it aims to serve. Our job as journalists is to ensure we do just that: Consult and involve community members so our journalism meets both the mark and the moment. That could mean asking different questions than we might ask without community input, telling a story in a different way, or sharing what we learned in our reporting in new ways.
We include this to encourage member newsrooms to meaningfully involve their communities in the proposed projects.
What to expect
Up to three projects will be selected, with a maximum award of $18,000.
Proposals will be evaluated by an external panel of at least three colleagues from journalism collaboratives outside of Maine who are invited by the Steering Committee.
- September 15, 2026: Application window opens
- October 27, 2026: Application deadline
- Early December, 2026: Applicants notified
This open call is made possible thanks to funding from the Broad Reach Foundation and the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation.
Learn more about the Collaborative at maineindependentnewscollaborative.org, or reach out to project director Jo Easton at jeaston@bangordailynews.com.