Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation

The mission of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation is to promote and support excellent, sustainable community journalism in the Coachella Valley. A free and vibrant press is one of the cornerstones of democracy. Local news outlets inform the public, hold elected officials accountable and provide a forum for civic debate.

The business model of local news enterprises — newspapers, local TV broadcasters, and community radio stations — has been disrupted by technology and battered by economic downturns, including the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation identifies needs in the local journalism ecosystem and seeks out grants and donations from individuals and foundations to fulfill those needs.

Our first major project in 2021 was raising funds to underwrite the hiring of an opinion editor at The Desert Sun. Without our action, the opinion section of the newspaper faced the prospect of elimination — no more letters to the editor, Valley Voice columns, opinions from the editorial board or candidate endorsements. Because of our successful fund-raising drive, a new opinion editor. Since then, more than 500 letters to the editor and Valley Voice columns that might otherwise never have been published made it into the pages of The Desert Sun and onto the desertsun.com website, enlivening community debate around various topics. According to data from The Desert Sun, online readership of opinion content was up 34% over the previous year thanks in part to a renewed focus on local issues and local voices.

Next, we secured a grant of more than $10,000 to underwrite internships in local newsrooms. 

Currently, we are raising money to sustain the opinion editor position and the local opinion section at The Desert Sun into the future. Without your help, the role will be eliminated and a vibrant forum for civic and civil debate will be shuttered. We also hope to extend our ability to offer assistance to more news outlets in the Coachella Valley.

We are an all-volunteer organization and all donations go to support local media outlets. The CVJF is a 501 (c) 3 organization. You can visit our site at www.cvjf.org for more information.