The Chicago Community Trust 111 E. Wacker Drive Suite 1400 Chicago, IL 60601
312.616.8000 www.cct.org
Contact: Eva Penar
evap@cct.org
312.616.8000 x 161
Vivian Vahlberg
Vivian@cct.org
312.616.7600 x 353
The Chicago Community Trust Announces
Community News Matters Award Recipients
Innovative program to spur the growth of new sources of high quality local
news and information about the Chicago region selects 12 award winners
November 5, 2009, Chicago – The Chicago Community Trust, our region’s
community foundation, today announced $500,000 in awards to 12 recipients under
an innovative new program, Community News Matters, to spur the growth of new
sources of quality local news and information about the Chicago region.
The award winners were selected from among 86 requests, totaling $5.7 million.
“The response to this program demonstrates without a doubt that the Chicago
region is loaded with talented people and smart organizations determined to find
new ways to serve the public’s information needs in these times of enormous
change in the media landscape,” said Terry Mazany, President and Chief Executive
Officer of the Trust. “The Chicago area has become a real laboratory for
development of the future for community news and information.”
Mazany noted that given changes in traditional media, there is a growing need for
the philanthropic sector to help develop new and different ways to provide
communities the information they need. As a result, the Trust has begun expanding
its support of news and information projects.
“These award recipients are outstanding examples of the rich mix of imaginative
solutions and different types of innovators at work in our region,” he said.
The Community News Matters program was spurred by a lead grant from the John S.
and James L. Knight Foundation’s Knight Community Information Challenge and is
jointly funded by The Chicago Community Trust, and the John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation.