Ballard Spahr Advises Journalism Funding Partners on California Program Supporting Local News Ecosystem

Ballard Spahr attorneys advised Journalism Funding Partners (JFP) on the nonprofit’s pivotal role in launching the California Civic Media Program (CCMP), an innovative, $20 million public-private partnership co-managed by the James B. McClatchy Foundation and the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.

CCMP pairs $10 million in state funding with $10 million from Google, “designed to inject stable, sustainable funding into California’s local news ecosystem,” JFP said in announcing the launch last month.

Google provides funding to JFP, which is then distributed to eligible news organizations under the guidance of the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, known as GO-Biz, and its advisory board.

JFP and the James B. McClatchy Foundation are co-managing the “first-of-its-kind” public-private grant program, “with the purpose to simplify the often-complex grantmaking process, giving newsrooms the tools and support they need to access philanthropic funding.”

“The program invests directly in news organizations to close information gaps and strengthen California’s press corps, with an emphasis on local, ethnic, and community newsrooms and those serving underserved communities,” JFP stated. “The goal is to give every Californian access to accurate, well-sourced local information and to support fuller participation in civic life.”

Ballard Spahr’s team advising JFP includes Christopher A. Jones, leader of the firm’s Tax Group, and Zachary Gorman, partner in the Corporate Group. Ashley I. Kissinger, special counsel in Ballard Spahr’s Media and Entertainment Law Group, serves on JFP’s volunteer Board of Directors.