Grant to NPR Funds Midwest Newsroom Expansion, Including Reporting Capacity in Nebraska

For Immediate Release

LINCOLN, Neb. (July 23, 2024) – NPR recently announced that it has received a $5.5 million grant from philanthropists Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation to expand the network’s collaborative journalism efforts.

A portion of the grant will fund new positions in The Midwest Newsroom, a collaboration among Nebraska Public Media, KCUR in Kansas City, Iowa Public Radio and St. Louis Public Radio. The positions include an investigative journalist who will expand the newsroom’s capacity to report on Nebraska and Iowa and will collaborate with reporters at stations there.

The grant will also fund two other positions at The Midwest Newsroom: an audience and innovation editor to help The Midwest Newsroom’s partner stations engage with communities across the region, explore potential new partnerships and consider new digital content initiatives; and a new reporting fellowship for an early or mid-career journalist seeking to develop investigative reporting skills.

Other funds from the grant will expand the existing California Newsroom, create a new regional newsroom in the Appalachia and Mid-South area, grow capacity at the Mountain West News Bureau and launch a visual journalism pilot at the regional newsroom in New England.

Since its establishment in 2021, The Midwest Newsroom has produced award-winning journalism and public service investigations. Two radio news stories by Nebraska Public Media were recognized with prestigious regional Edward R. Murrow Awards – one about a Keystone Pipeline oil spill along the Nebraska-Kansas border, and another about farmers facing drought and wildfire conditions.

The additional investment by the Schmidts will enable public radio stations that are part of The Midwest Newsroom to reach and serve more communities with local, multi-platform public service journalism. “Access to trusted local news is essential for every local community in Nebraska. This grant strengthens our reporting, extends our reach across the state and supports our ongoing mission to provide diverse and impactful news on a variety of platforms,” said Nebraska Public Media General Manager Mark Leonard.

Since 2020, Eric and Wendy Schmidt have provided $10.2 million in gifts to support NPR’s Collaborative Journalism Network and enabled public radio stations to reach and serve more communities. Eric Schmidt is the former CEO of Google. Wendy Schmidt is co-founder and president of the Schmidt Family Foundation and Schmidt Ocean Institute.

The mission of NPR’s Collaborative Journalism Network is to leverage public radio’s reach to bring high quality local, regional and national journalism to all communities. The united network of public radio newsrooms reflects America’s diversity and tells stories from every corner of the country.

The Midwest Newsroom aims to include other stations across the four-state area in the collaboration.

For more information about the expanded NPR Collaborative Journalism Network, click here. To see more stories produced by the Nebraska Public Media and other stations in the Midwest Newsroom, click here.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Kim Rogers, 402-470-6512

About Nebraska Public Media

Nebraska Public Media has connected citizens with news, sports, education and entertainment since 1954. Providing global and compelling stories from PBS and NPR, the statewide public media network also produces award-winning local content. Its programs and services reach Nebraskans on television, radio, online, social media and mobile apps. Visit NebraskaPublicMedia.org for more information.