Overview: The California Journalism Philanthropy Summit brought together nonprofit leaders, journalism executives, and media stakeholders to discuss how philanthropy and community foundation leaders can support community-centered journalism statewide. The summit featured sessions on the role of philanthropy in preserving local news, AI’s role in journalism, and investments in journalism. Nobel Prize Laureate and CEO/Co-Founder of Rappler, Maria Ressa, gave a keynote address on the threats to democracy and journalism, and shared a 10-point action plan on how to address the threat to journalism.
Breanna Reeves
Dozens of nonprofit leaders, journalism executives and media stakeholders convened for a one day summit to discuss how philanthropy and community foundation leaders can support community-centered journalism statewide.
The California Journalism Philanthropy Summit, launched by Dr. Paulette Brown-Hinds in 2023, returned on Jan. 23, for the first time since its inception. The one-day conference featured several sessions that discussed the most pressing issues for philanthropists and journalists such as the role of philanthropy in preserving local news, AI’s role in journalism, and investments in journalism.
“What does philanthropy designed for disruption look like?” Dr. Brown-Hinds asked the room during her opening remarks. Her question sparked the start of a series of sessions that featured notable newsmakers such as CalMatters’ CEO Neil Chase, Rebuild Local News Founder Steve Waldman, and keynote speaker 2021 Nobel Prize Laureate and CEO/Co-Founder of Rappler Maria Ressa.
Awarded for her investigative reporting in the Philippines under the regime of President Rodrigo Duterte, Ressa addressed the role of journalists and media right now, as democracy and journalism are facing a crisis.
During her keynote, Ressa noted that journalism in the U.S. is under attack as she stated that journalism has “six to eight months to survive…that brings it to about one year for democracy,” Ressa said.
Ressa’s keynote addressed threats to democracy and journalism, noting the similar patterns that occurred in the Philippines due to the normalization and quick spread of lies (disinformation) on social media.
“The battle isn’t over. The battle is now. Journalists are on the front lines,” Ressa said. “Because if America falls, the world tilts.”
In her address, Ressa identified how attendees in the room and journalists in the U.S. can #ReclaimOurRights through three pillars: technology, journalism and community. In her presentation, Ressa shared a 10-point action plan on how it will take courage to address the threat to journalism, including stopping surveillance for profit and recognizing “journalism as an antidote to tyranny.”
“What will you sacrifice for the truth?” Ressa asked.
Ressa’s keynote, along with sessions that discussed the future of local news and how philanthropy can support public policy, initiated discussions among the attendees on how to apply these ideas and principles to their own communities.
During the session on how philanthropy can support public policy that helps to sustain local journalism, former Senator Steve Glazer said it will take much more in order to change the landscape of media in California. As a legislator, Glazer authored Senate Bill 1327, which proposed $500 million in funding for local news, and established the UC Berkeley-administered local news fellowship program.
Glazer was joined in conversation with Waldman, Martin Reynolds of the Maynard Institute and the Propel Initiative, and Monica Lozano, board chair of The LA Local and board member of the Weingart Foundation.
During the session, the panelists discussed the need for more collaborations among those in the philanthropic and community foundation sector and journalism in a way that is collaborative and that forges sustainable solutions.
“Let’s get a little urgent…,” Reynolds said as he discussed the state of the U.S. and what contributions he’d like to see from philanthropy. “Investing in the people who power this sector, I find valuable…I would like philanthropy to take a more leadership approach in holding their grantees accountable.”
The Summit was one day, generating meaningful discussions about the future of local news and sustainability through collaborating with foundations, other media and with one another. The Summit ended with a final session on the topic of building a philanthropic network in order to invest in a local news ecosystem in California.
The 2026 California Journalism Philanthropy Summit was held at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. The event was hosted by the Inland Empire Journalism Innovation Hub+Fund, the Press Forward California chapters, the League of California Community Foundations, and sponsored by the James B. McClatchy Foundation, Google News Initiative, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Eli Broad Foundation, and Rebuild Local News.