The Community Voice has been selected as one of 11 newsrooms nationwide to receive funding through the Lenfest Institute for Journalism’s Beyond Print program, a competitive national initiative designed to help local newspapers strengthen their digital futures while maintaining their community roots.
The program awarded a total of $400,000 to independent newspapers across the country, selected from more than 160 applicants. The grants support experimentation in digital storytelling, audience growth, and new revenue strategies — particularly those that help publishers reach younger readers.
Publisher Bonita Gooch said the recognition reflects work The Community Voice has already been doing — and the opportunity to do more.
“Let me be very clear for our print readers: we are not preparing to stop printing our newspaper — at least not right now,” Gooch said. “But we also know there is a large and growing audience online, and we’ve been intentional about building meaningful connections there.”
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Digital publishing is not new to The Community Voice. The organization has had an active website for 10 years and upgraded its site in 2022 to a state-of-the-art CMS designed to enhance visitors’ experience. Since then, the organization has steadily expanded its digital footprint. Today, it produces four weekly newsletters, maintains active social media platforms, and engages a growing online community alongside its long-standing print audience.
The Beyond Print grant will allow The Community Voice to take its next step: expanding video storytelling.
“Video is king — especially for younger audiences — and it’s an area we’ve wanted to grow but haven’t had the resources to fully support,” Gooch said. “This grant funds a six-month program that gives us the space to experiment, learn what works, and develop sustainable ways to integrate video into our journalism.”
The expanded video coverage will focus on youth-centered and mobile-friendly storytelling, with the goal of increasing engagement among audiences 40 and under. Readers can expect to begin seeing more video content as early as February.
As part of the initiative, The Community Voice is also working to build a team of video correspondents and producers.
“The real challenge — and the real opportunity — is figuring out how this work not only grows our audience, but also grows revenue so we can sustain it long-term,” Gooch said. “That’s what this experiment is about.”
Other Beyond Print grant recipients include: Daily Sitka Sentinel (Sitka, Alaska); La Noticia (Charlotte, North Carolina); La Raza Chicago (Chicago, Illinois); Response Media/The Boulder Monitor (Montana); The Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, Massachusetts); The News Reporter (Whiteville, North Carolina); The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania); The Salt Lake Tribune (Salt Lake City, Utah); Wick Communications; and Willamette Week (Oregon).
The Community Voice is the only legacy print African-American publication selected to receive a grant in this round of Beyond Print funding.
The Beyond Print program is supported by the Andrew & Julie Klingenstein Family Fund and is designed to help local newspapers test new ideas while remaining vital community institutions.The Community Voice has been selected as one of 11 newsrooms nationwide to receive funding through the Lenfest Institute for Journalism’s Beyond Print program, a competitive national initiative designed to help local newspapers strengthen their digital futures while maintaining their community roots.
The program awarded a total of $400,000 to independent newspapers across the country, selected from more than 160 applicants. The grants support experimentation in digital storytelling, audience growth, and new revenue strategies — particularly those that help publishers reach younger readers.
Publisher Bonita Gooch said the recognition reflects work The Community Voice has already been doing — and the opportunity to do more.
“Let me be very clear for our print readers: we are not preparing to stop printing our newspaper — at least not right now,” Gooch said. “But we also know there is a large and growing audience online, and we’ve been intentional about building meaningful connections there.”
Digital publishing is not new to The Community Voice. The organization has had an active website for 10 years and upgraded its site in 2022 to a state-of-the-art CMS designed to enhance visitors’ experience. Since then, the organization has steadily expanded its digital footprint. Today, it produces four weekly newsletters, maintains active social media platforms, and engages a growing online community alongside its long-standing print audience.
The Beyond Print grant will allow The Community Voice to take its next step: expanding video storytelling.
“Video is king — especially for younger audiences — and it’s an area we’ve wanted to grow but haven’t had the resources to fully support,” Gooch said. “This grant funds a six-month program that gives us the space to experiment, learn what works, and develop sustainable ways to integrate video into our journalism.”
The expanded video coverage will focus on youth-centered and mobile-friendly storytelling, with the goal of increasing engagement among audiences 40 and under. Readers can expect to begin seeing more video content as early as February.
As part of the initiative, The Community Voice is also working to build a team of video correspondents and producers.
“The real challenge — and the real opportunity — is figuring out how this work not only grows our audience, but also grows revenue so we can sustain it long-term,” Gooch said. “That’s what this experiment is about.”
Other Beyond Print grant recipients include: Daily Sitka Sentinel (Sitka, Alaska); La Noticia (Charlotte, North Carolina); La Raza Chicago (Chicago, Illinois); Response Media/The Boulder Monitor (Montana); The Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, Massachusetts); The News Reporter (Whiteville, North Carolina); The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania); The Salt Lake Tribune (Salt Lake City, Utah); Wick Communications; and Willamette Week (Oregon).
The Community Voice is the only legacy print African-American publication selected to receive a grant in this round of Beyond Print funding.
The Beyond Print program is supported by the Andrew & Julie Klingenstein Family Fund and is designed to help local newspapers test new ideas while remaining vital community institutions.
