Invest in the future of local journalism.
Launching September 2026, the Friends of Local News campaign is your opportunity to help strengthen independent local journalism across New Mexico.
The New Mexico Local News Fund invests in newsrooms, journalists, and community partners working to ensure every community has access to trustworthy, relevant information. Together, we’re closing information gaps, supporting reporting in rural, tribal, and historically underserved communities, and building a stronger future for local news. Every gift helps sustain journalism that strengthens civic participation, accountability, and community connection.
Friends of Local News
Friends of Local News is a community of people who believe strong local journalism is essential infrastructure. Monthly gifts help us respond quickly to newsroom needs, support emerging journalists, and invest in sustainable reporting ecosystems across New Mexico.
Even small monthly donations create meaningful impact because consistent support allows us to plan, grow, and serve communities year-round.
Community Supporter
$10/month
Your monthly gift helps sustain public access to trusted local information, strengthens independent journalism, and ensures communities across New Mexico have access to the news they need to stay informed and engaged.
News Advocate
$25/month
Help strengthen reporting in underserved communities across New Mexico. Your monthly gift supports journalists covering the stories that too often go untold while expanding access to trusted local news.
Civic Champion
$50/month
Your support helps fund journalism that connects people with the information they need to engage in their communities, hold institutions accountable, and participate in democracy.
The Local News Leadership Circle
Leadership Circle donors make annual transformational investments in New Mexico’s local news ecosystem. Gifts may support the New Mexico Local News Fund’s statewide mission or be designated to strengthen Documenters in Doña Ana County or Press Forward New Mexico. These investments fund innovation, emergency support, sustainability programs, collaborative reporting initiatives, civic engagement, and the infrastructure that keeps local journalism strong. Leadership support allows us to think beyond immediate needs and invest in the future of local news.
Builder
$1,000 annually
Help build the foundation for a stronger local news ecosystem. Your annual investment supports innovation, sustainability, and the long-term capacity of independent journalism across New Mexico, while creating opportunities for communities to stay informed and engaged.
Steward
$2,500 annually
Provide meaningful leadership that expands access to trusted local news and strengthens the organizations serving communities throughout New Mexico. Your investment helps support collaborative reporting, civic engagement, and the future of independent journalism.
Visionary
$5,000+ annually
Champion the future of local journalism in New Mexico through a transformational investment. Leadership gifts provide the flexibility to address emerging needs, strengthen statewide initiatives, and invest in innovative programs, collaborative reporting, and civic engagement.
Support Doña Ana Documenters
The Documenters Program in Doña Ana County trains and compensates community members to attend public meetings and share accessible summaries with the public. These community journalists help ensure important local decisions don’t happen behind closed doors.
Whether you choose a one-time gift or become a monthly sustaining donor, your support helps fund stipends for Documenters covering school boards, city councils, county commissions, and other public meetings.
When communities can see what decisions are being made, democracy becomes more transparent, accessible, and participatory.
Meeting Ally
$10/month or one-time
Every meeting starts with the right tools. Your gift helps provide note-taking resources, technology, and administrative support that keep the Documenters program running smoothly and ensure community voices are heard.
Civic Observer
$25/month or one-time
Support the people who show up. Your contribution helps fund Documenter stipends, making it possible for trained community members to attend public meetings and share accessible summaries with their neighbors.
Public Record Partner
$50/month or one-time
Help expand public access to local government. Your gift supports ongoing meeting coverage, allowing more school boards, city councils, county commissions, and other public bodies to be documented over time.
Transparancy Champion
$100/month or one-time
Strengthen government transparency through consistent community reporting. Your support helps cover approximately half of an average public meeting each month, ensuring important local decisions are documented and shared with the public.
Meeting Sponsor
$200/month or one-time
Sponsor an entire public meeting. Your gift fully funds the coverage of one average meeting, helping ensure the public has access to accurate, community-centered documentation of local government in action.
Civic Access Anchor
$600/month or one-time
Support deep civic engagement by funding the coverage of one extended public meeting. These longer meetings often involve complex discussions and major community decisions. Your investment helps ensure they are documented from beginning to end, making local government more transparent and accessible for everyone.
Become a Corporate Sponsor
Local businesses and organizations play a vital role in strengthening independent journalism and civic engagement across New Mexico. Corporate sponsorships help expand local reporting, support community-centered initiatives like Documenters, and sustain the infrastructure that keeps trusted local news accessible.
Whether you’re interested in sponsoring an event, funding a program, supporting a newsroom initiative, or becoming a year-round partner, we’d love to work with you to create a sponsorship that aligns with your goals and community impact.
To explore sponsorship levels, benefits, and partnership opportunities, download our Corporate Sponsorship One-Sheet.
When you’re ready, contact us to discuss how we can build a sponsorship package that meets your organization’s goals.