Last March, we wrote about tree, park, and trails equity in Grand Rapids (bet you didn’t know there is something called a Tree Equity Score), and that story directly resulted in Friends of Grand Rapids Parks getting inquiries from other media outlets, growth in their social media following, and interaction with their newsletter.
In Mt. Pleasant, we wrote about a public charter school innovating in education through project-based learning and real-world applications. The coverage generated excitement for the Renaissance Academy, and it contributed to enrollment growth at the school.
A story in our Soapbox publication highlighted efforts to improve community connectivity in one of Cincinnati’s inner-ring suburbs.
In the past decade, a growing number of philantrhopic organizations have provided financial support for journalism outlets.
Drawing together philanthropic support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and smaller foundations as well as city government, county governments, Veterans Affairs, senior welfare organizations, and economic development groups, IMG launched On the Ground: Battle Creek.
In the summer of 2022, Issue Media Group relaunched its online, community-informed, digital publication in the Upper Peninsula. Working with a coalition of parnters, UPword focuses on innovation, talent, entrepreneurship, social innovation, and community development, while featuring U.P.-based talent.
IMG formed a statewide and cross-sector coalition of partners interested in supporting expanded media coverage of important rural issues. The result is Rural Innnovation Exchange, which launched in February 2022.
Route Bay City began publishing in 2018, thanks in a big part to the leadership at the Bay Area Community Foundation, which helped gather philanthropic and community entities to fill the news gap by supporting and underwriting Route Bay City.
Here's a handful of stories about homes from Issue Media Group publications that touch on a variety of issues. They include everything from creating stable communities to innovative designs and construction.
IMG publications like Model D and Metromode have partnered with local housing partnerships to provide continuous coverage of issues related to housing. And Southwest Michigan's Second Wave is reporting on housing issues in that region, thanks to a coalition of funders.
