Wichita Foundation renews partnership with TNC, Info Challenge grantees

Original article from Tiny News Collective newsroom

One of the best partnerships in the brief history of Tiny News Collective is getting even better, with the Wichita Foundation’s Press Forward Wichita renewing and enhancing its initial investment in three Wichita news startups: Planeta Venus, TMBP Media and The SHOUT. Those startups were awarded support via the initial Info Challenge run by Wichita Foundation to identify underrepresented voices in media to create a more inclusive news landscape. 

In the second year of this partnership, TNC will use our knowledge and expertise to host strategic planning sessions with these diverse organizations as they grow out of the startup phase. Together, we’ll help these founders define sustainability on their own practical terms and define their longer-term dreams, impact.

The newsrooms will receive additional funding from Press Forward Wichita, a local news and information initiative of the Wichita Foundation. This additional investment, on top of the previous $30,000 grants to these newsrooms, will help the founders define and reach new editorial and business goals. With TNC’s assistance, they will also further develop their own leadership skills, identify and cultivate shared collective resources, do asset mapping of their stakeholders, and better understand their data and impact metrics.

“We are thrilled to renew and boost our partnership with Wichita Foundation and support these vibrant community-based startups,” said Amy L. Kovac-Ashley, executive director of TNC. “Our work with Wichita Foundation and chief strategy officer Courtney Bengtson has been the perfect example of how TNC can partner with local funders to help fertilize news deserts with diverse news founders around the nation. We look forward to partnering with other Press Forward Local chapters to focus on finding and nurturing other community-based, independent entrepreneurial outlets.”

The three Wichita startups have made impressive strides in their first year as TNC members:

• Planeta Venus hosted its first Latino Awards Dinner in August (see photo above), honoring achievements in community service, arts and culture, education, health and more. The event took place at The Niche at Wichita State University, with 150 guests coming together to celebrate 16 award winners. Planeta Venus’ distribution also continues to grow, especially in rural areas of Kansas.
• TMBP Media launched its “BLACK in One Piece” podcast with a live in-person event and has grown to more than 2,500 subscribers on its YouTube channel, with the latest episode already reaching more than 10,000 views. Founder Dr. Latasha Eley Kelly also secured a $5,000 grant from the Kansas Innovation Fund and plans to move into a bookstore, “Left on Read,” that will serve as a media and event space. (Read more about TMBP Media in our “5 Questions” feature.)
• The SHOUT, an arts publication, hit the ground running with feature stories, reviews, personal essays, interviews and an extensive (and revamped) arts and culture calendar. They’ve published the work of 30 Kansas writers and photographers, brought on contract help to coordinate visual art coverage and for ad sales, social media and the calendar, and plan to expand their audience and build their revenue.

“The Wichita Foundation is thrilled to deepen our commitment to these three news startups,” said Courtney Bengtson, chief strategy officer of the Wichita Foundation. “These outlets have become vital storytellers in our community, and we look forward to watching them grow in the years to come with the support of Tiny News Collective. TNC has been a valuable partner, providing national connections and resources to these publications.”