Journalism Funding Partners Attend Fourth Annual In-Person Board Meeting in Atlanta, GA
Posting: Thursday, October 30, 2025
Earlier this month, Journalism Funding Partners (JFP) gathered in Atlanta, GA, for its annual in-person Board meeting. The two-day event brought together JFP Board members from across the country and the 2025-2026 class of Chips Quinn Reporters for an opportunity to connect, reflect and look ahead to the future of JFP and local journalism.
Atlanta served as a fitting host city, selected because JFP Board member Sharif Durhams is Managing Editor at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) and offered to host. For all Board members, it was the first time meeting the new class of Chips Quinn Reporters in person, and for some, it was also their first time seeing fellow Board members face-to-face. The occasion carried a sense of reunion and renewed energy.
The gathering began the evening before with a warm and casual dinner featuring a Southern menu. The meal set a relaxed tone and offered a chance for the Chips Quinn Reporters and Board members to connect outside of the meeting room. Conversations flowed easily as guests shared stories from their newsrooms and talked about their paths that led them to where they are today. The dinner reflected JFP’s collaborative spirit, blending the experience of seasoned journalists with the next generation of reporters.
The following day, the group met at the AJC for a guided tour of the newsroom. Walking past framed front pages chronicling decades of Atlanta’s history, the group reflected on the AJC’s role in shaping local coverage for its community. The Chips Quinn Reporters and Board members were also able to visit the digital studios, standing in the same spaces where some of the AJC’s podcasts and shows are recorded, symbolizing the paper’s evolution as it works toward becoming a fully digital publication. The tour offered a glimpse into how a legacy newsroom continues to innovate while maintaining its commitment to community-centered journalism.
After the tour, the meeting was held in one of the AJC’s private rooms. Each Chips Quinn Reporter introduced themselves to the Board, sharing where they work, their reporting beat and what they hope to gain from the fellowship. Several reporters spoke about their commitment to covering underrepresented communities, while others shared how shrinking newsroom resources have challenged their development as journalists. Board members listened closely, offering perspective on sustaining a career in a changing media landscape. Several Board members were surprised by the challenges the young reporters described, while others found the conversations deeply familiar, recalling their own early experiences in journalism.
Director Marc Fiol and Chips Quinn Reporter | Photo Credit: Rusty Coats
Board members then engaged the reporters in a thoughtful discussion about the state of journalism, the challenges and opportunities they see ahead and what continues to inspire their work. Topics included newsroom safety, the importance of community trust and the future of philanthropy in local news.
When it was time, the Chips Quinn Reporters departed and the official Board meeting began. Discussions centered on strengthening JFP’s infrastructure to better support its growing portfolio of sponsored newsrooms. The Board reviewed the organization’s finances, active projects and long-term goals. A major topic of the afternoon was the ongoing community giving campaigns that JFP hosts on behalf of several partner newsrooms. Director of Communications and Community Giving Marc Fiol presented results from 2024 compared with the current year’s progress. As of October, the campaigns had already exceeded the total raised in 2024 by $100,000 and were projected to double last year’s giving by the end of 2025.
Chips Quinn Reporter, Angelica Perez, speaks to JFP Board members. | Photo Credit: Rusty Coats.
The Board also heard updates on JFP’s integration into Airtable, presented by Director of Finance and Operations, Marty Walker, who demonstrated how the platform is being used to track grants and streamline organizational processes. She also showcased the new vetting system being implemented to foundations that chose to give through JFP. Members discussed how these improvements would help JFP continue to scale its support for local journalism across the country.
As the day’s discussions came to a close, members expressed gratitude for the hospitality of the AJC and the opportunity to connect with the new Chips Quinn cohort. The energy in the room reflected JFP’s continued growth and optimism for the future.
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
