Journalism Funding Partners Attend Fifth Annual In-Person Board Meeting in Phoenix, AZ
Posting: Monday, October 19, 2026
Earlier this month, Journalism Funding Partners (JFP) gathered in Phoenix, AZ, for its fifth annual in-person Board meeting. The two-day event brought JFP Board members and staff together with the 2026-2027 class of Chips Quinn Reporters to connect, take stock of the organization's growth and begin mapping out its next chapter.
Chips Quinn Reporter, Angelica Perez, speaks to JFP Board members. | Photo Credit: Rusty Coats.
Last year, Board member Andy Pergam offered Phoenix as the location for this year’s retreat due to his recent move there and new position at ASU’s Journalism School. Mr. Pergam helped coordinate the meeting space, set up the room and had the dean of the college meet the JFP team and Chips Quinn reporters. The trip also gave JFP’s Board members their first chance to meet the new class of Chips Quinn Reporters in person.
Work began on the afternoon of Oct. 5, when Board members and staff met to prepare for the next day's official meeting. Executive Director Rusty Coats led a guided discussion about where JFP goes from here, kicking off planning for what the organization is calling JFP 3.0. The conversation looked back at how far JFP has come since its founding before turning to what comes next, from new opportunities to support local newsrooms to how JFP's staff and Board can grow to meet them.
Later that evening, the JFP team and the Chips Quinn Reporters had dinner together at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown’s restaurant. The meal offered a relaxed setting for the reporters and Board members to get to know one another before the next day's sessions.
On Oct. 6, the group met at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where Dean Battinto Batts Jr. welcomed everyone to campus. Dean Batts shared the history of the college and what its next steps are for shaping their place in the media landscape. After his welcome and brief speech, JFP Board members thanked him for generously hosting this meeting space before he exited. JFP Board Chair Orage Quarles III and Vice Chair Sheila Solomon, both founding Board members, then shared the history of JFP with the Chips Quinn Reporters, walking them through how the organization got its start and how it has grown. Each Board member followed with a brief introduction.
Director Marc Fiol and Chips Quinn Reporter | Photo Credit: Jennifer Conklin
The reporters then took their turn, telling the Board how they got into journalism, what they cover today and what they hope to gain from the fellowship. Board members asked questions of their own that related to what the current newsroom looks like for these young reporters and what their experience is compared to their own careers. Reporters not only had a chance to share their stories and what it was like either working remotely or in person, but also got to hear the experiences of several of the Board members and JFP staff.
Next, David Bodney, founder member of Ballard Spahr Media & Entertainment Law Group, and Gregg Leslie, Executive Director for First Amendment Clinic at ASU, spoke to the group about the First Amendment issues facing journalists today and answered questions from the room. The reporters spent time during the Q&A asking questions about how today’s political climate influenced the stories they write and spent a few moments reviewing what legal rights protect journalists on the field and how to stay sa
Once the Chips Quinn Reporters departed, the official Board meeting began. Many of the topics ranged from the usual talking points during these meetings, mainly reviewing finances and current projects, and went into more detail regarding the future of JFP. Outside of business conversations, in person retreats like these are a great way to to spend time with one another rather than remotely. Everyone left the trip feeling excited and hopeful for the future and eager to get back to the important work JFP does: Increasing the depth, diversity and sustainability of local journalism.
As Executive Director Rusty Coats would say, “Onward.”
JFP currently engages in three core programs, serving as a bridge and a leader in the growing realm of philanthropy-supported journalism:
Enabling major gifts to local journalism – partnerships between funders and news organizations.
Fundraising guidance and training for journalism professionals.
Enabling broad community giving to local journalism.
JFP places an emphasis on supporting efforts to bring the diversity of local journalists to parity with the demographics of the communities they serve. JFP also prioritizes coverage-topics that have been particularly reduced by the wholesale declines in local news, including equity, economic mobility, education, health, housing, gun violence and the environment.
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Media Contact: Rusty Coats, Executive Director | rusty@jfp-local.org | (813) 277-8959
