Sometimes, news organizations are on the receiving end of “breaking news.” That’s the case for Desert Sun and its philanthropy section. The valued portion of Gannett’s Coachella Valley outpost is on the receiving end of a Desert Community News Fund grant via Inland Empire Community Foundation.
“What we do is raise money to help support local journalists and local journalism organizations,” said Randy Lovely, Board President of Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation (CVJF). “We do that in a number of ways, through staff positions, interns, or providing one-time grants to help offset the cost of a reporting project, or travel and such.”
The grant CVJF received was a directed grant, which is not distributed to general operations. Instead, it funnels into fundraising efforts that support the Desert Sun’s philanthropy editor position.
“The position is, in essence, funded by the community, just as Desert Sun’s opinion page editor,” Lovely said. “Those two positions are grant-supported positions. We have paid for, now going into the fifth year, the editorial page position. The new grant goes toward the philanthropy and giving editor position.”
It’s a big boost for journalism during a time of unprecedented change in the media industry.
“Obviously, that kind of coverage is incredibly important in terms of what it does to help raise the profile of the various non-profits throughout the Valley that are trying to provide incredible services to the community,” Lovely added. “By having that position and having that content in the Desert Sun and its website, it really helps these organizations achieve their goals.”
It’s a valiant effort on the part of CVJF, whose primary mission is to, “promote and support sustainable community journalism in the Coachella Valley.” A major goal is to celebrate and perhaps elevate local journalism, thereby recognizing the work of Valley journalists.
The organization itself is quick to promote a vibrant ideal, something Walter Cronkite once said: “Journalism is what we need to make democracy work.”
That continues to be a challenge for many media organizations in the 2020s. Traditional business models of local news outlets—from newspapers and television broadcasters to radio stations—have been greatly impacted by high-tech and economic slumps. Corporate interests continue to affect many outlets, sometimes stripping away needed resources, such as salaried positions.
To that end, CVJF strives to improve and expand the work of local news organizations, which aim to remain in service to the community.
“Coachella Valley has an incredible history of philanthropic giving, and I would say probably per capita, we probably have more dollars raised philanthropically than most communities do,” Lovely said. “It’s a very generous community, but there’s also a lot of organizations who are vying for that attention and vying for those dollars, and so the philanthropy section helps shine the spotlight on those worthy organizations that are doing such incredible things across the Valley.”
On the horizon, Lovely points out several events that stand out. CVJF’s major fundraising event is on January 14. Lovely calls it, “Our Coachella Valley Media Hall of Fame event.” In its second year now, tickets are on sale through the end of December.
Roughly five major events are planned throughout the year, in fact, which Lovely says, “helps connect local journalists with the community.”
These range from author events to exhibits.
“We’re planning a photo exhibit of news photography later this spring,” Lovely said. “We try to help the community understand the important work that journalists do and give them an opportunity to meet some of the local journalists. We also launched a membership program, and so that’s a big push for us as an organization is to get people to sign on as members.”
“It shows the grassroots support that’s really important for us as we go out and seek other grants,” he added.
Learn more at cvjf.org.
This article originally appeared in the Desert Sun, January 2025
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