The Field Foundation of Illinois

06/11/2026

REGISTER NOW for "America @ 250: A Journalism Reckoning!"
Making of a Nation. Unmaking of a Narrative. Who Gets to Tell the Story?

📅 July 16, 2026 🕕 6–9pm 📍 Impact House, 200 W Madison St., 2nd Floor, Chicago

Space is limited. A waitlist will be instituted once capacity is reached. https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/EDCzq639gB

Today we begin unveiling this powerful speaker line-up!

July 4, 2026 marks America's Semiquincentennial — the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Anniversaries like this invite both celebration and reflection: on the ideals our founders set forth, and on the ongoing work of living up to them. Among those ideals, a free press — recognized as the Fourth Estate — has always been central as an essential check on power, and a cornerstone of informed civic participation.

Across the political spectrum, many Americans share concern about the state of public discourse, trust in institutions, and the health of local and national journalism. Journalists across the country have faced mounting challenges — and the U.S. now ranks 64th among 180 nations on the World Press Freedom Index, a drop of seven places from the 2025 index.

Chicago's entire journalism ecosystem is invited for an evening of honest conversation reflecting on journalism's past, reckoning with journalism's present, and reimagining its future. The evening will feature nationally recognized keynote speakers as well as a panel conversation and an open mic session uplifting some of Chicago’s most influential journalism voices.

Kimbriell Kelly
Kimbriell is the Editor-in-Chief of Chicago Public Media, the nation’s largest local nonprofit newsroom, overseeing a team of more than 140 talented staff for the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ. A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism executive and 25-year veteran investigative editor and reporter, Kelly has overseen multiple award-winning projects in some of the nation’s largest newsrooms, including Washington Post and Los Angeles Times.

Melissa Sanchez
Melissa writes about immigrants and low-wage work for ProPublica. Her reporting on Chicago’s punitive ticketing and debt collection system led to major reforms, including the cancellation of tens of thousands of driver’s license suspensions and millions of dollars in debt forgiveness. A series she co-reported on conditions for immigrant workers on Wisconsin dairy farms prompted a federal civil rights investigation and the creation of an $8 million fund to build housing for farmworkers. More recently, she and a group of colleagues reported on the Trump administration's deportation of more than 230 Venezuelan men to a Salvadoran prison, as well as a federal raid in South Shore that netted dramatic footage for social media but zero criminal charges. Melissa is the daughter of immigrants and lives in Chicago.

06/09/2026

Registration for "America @ 250: A Journalism Reckoning" is now OPEN!

July 4, 2026 marks America's Semiquincentennial — the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Anniversaries like this invite both celebration and reflection: on the ideals our founders set forth, and on the ongoing work of living up to them. Among those ideals, a free press — recognized as the Fourth Estate — has always been central as an essential check on power, and a cornerstone of informed civic participation.

Today, that cornerstone faces real pressure. Across the political spectrum, many Americans share concern about the state of public discourse, trust in institutions, and the health of local and national journalism. Journalists across the country have faced mounting challenges — and the U.S. now ranks 64th among 180 nations on the World Press Freedom Index, a drop of seven places from the 2025 index.

Chicago's entire journalism ecosystem is invited for an evening of honest conversation reflecting on journalism's past, reckoning with journalism's present, and reimagining its future. The evening will feature nationally recognized keynote speakers as well as a panel conversation and an open mic session uplifting some of Chicago’s most influential journalism voices. Stay tuned as we unveil this powerful line-up.

Making of a Nation. Unmaking of a Narrative. Who Gets to Tell the Story?

Register early using the link or QR code in the image below. https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/EDCzq639gB Space is limited. A waitlist will be instituted once capacity is reached.

📅 July 16, 2026 🕕 6–9pm 📍 Impact House, 200 W Madison St., 2nd Floor, Chicago



Image description: A bold green event graphic featuring a green-tinted Statue of Liberty and the Field Foundation logo invites followers to register for America @ 250: A Journalism Reckoning — an evening event on Thursday, July 16, 2026, from 6–9pm at Impact House in Chicago. Scan the QR code or visit fieldfoundation.org to register.

06/08/2026

Dispatch from Detroit. Read about the BOMESI Foundation's BOMESI Summit 2026, where our Director of Journalism & Storytelling, Maudlyne Ihejirika, shared strategies for diverse-owned media to access funding — a critical piece of building a more connected and sustainable local media ecosystem.

06/08/2026

06/03/2026

Heading to the in Detroit this week? Don't miss Thursday's panel, "Funding the Future of Independent and Diverse-Owned Journalism," featuring our Director of Journalism & Storytelling, Maudlyne Ihejirika. The conversation will explore funding opportunities for strengthening journalism ecosystems — to ensure that all communities have access to reliable news and information and that diverse community stories are told and heard. Hope to see you there!

....
I’m pleased to join BOMESI Summit 2026 this Thursday as a panelist for a timely conversation on how legacy and start-up JOURNALISM & STORYTELLING entities — from traditional , and outlets to diverse content, and production platforms — can access philanthropic .

This year’s summit will convene national , founders, leaders, executives, investors and other revenue partners to focus on , , infrastructure, and the future of diverse-owned media.

"Funding the Future of Independent & Diverse-Owned Journalism," will be moderated by innovative Outlier Media Founder Candice Fortman, with fellow panelists Joseph Lichterman, head of Communication and Editorial at Lenfest Institute for Journalism, and Outlier's Executive Director, Orlando Bailey.

Looking forward to representing The Field Foundation of Illinois and contributing to a -driven conversation on how we build stronger, more sustainable media ecosystems. Join us June 3–6, 2026 in Detroit.
TO REGISTER: www.bomesisummit.org

05/29/2026

Last night was the culminating dinner of the 2026 Healing Illinois Reporting Project: “Democracy Lives Here.” This year, five local news outlets spanning the state produced robust news coverage on how democracy works in practice, who it works for, and what people are doing to make it work better across the state’s diverse communities. The goal: engaging and bringing neighbors together.

Deborah Douglas and the Medill - Northwestern University Solutions Journalism Network managed the project and brought all news outlets together, along with the Field Foundation team, at Taste 222 Chicago to both celebrate and reflect on the project.

Over the course of the evening, we heard from the teams who did the work at Capitol News Illinois, Chicago News Weekly, The Harvey World Herald, ILLatinoNews.com, and WGLT. Each described the experience of applying a solutions journalism frame, guided by Deborah, which included rigorous reporting on responses to social problems with evidence of what is working, what is not, and why.

We also heard from Field Foundation President Daniel O. Ash and Tim Franklin, Senior Associate Dean of the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing and Communications — both of whom commented on the vital link between a healthy local journalism ecosystem, civic participation, and a working democracy.

This project was made possible by a grant from , a racial and community healing initiative from the Illinois Department of Human Services, in partnership with the Field Foundation. You will find the full body of work on our Journalism & Storytelling page: https://fieldfoundation.org/grantmaking/journalism-storytelling/

Congratulations to Deborah and all the participating news outlets for an exceptional effort in shining a light on democracy at work in Illinois.

05/26/2026

"Voting by mail has become a popular voting method and one of the most scrutinized.

"In Illinois, where the process of ensuring voter confidence in mail voting and elections generally falls upon county clerks, more than 18% of voters cast their ballot by mail in 2024, compared to 6.5% in 2016.

"Ahead of this year’s elections, the U.S. Postal Service is making changes that could alter mail voting procedures, Congress is considering the SAVE America Act to tighten voter ID guidelines and exercise more federal control over voter rolls, and the U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether ballots should be counted if they arrive after Election Day.

"Illinois officials say they’re ready to handle those changes.

"County clerks tell Capitol News Illinois they’ve developed strategies to boost confidence in voting by mail — relying on transparency, communication and having people experience the process .... "

Continue reading PART 2 of the Capitol News Illinois story here:
https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/illinois-county-clerks-are-preparing-for-mail-voting-amid-continued-attacks-changes/

This story is part of the Healing Illinois 2026 Reporting Project, “Democracy Lives Here,” managed by the Medill - Northwestern University Solutions Journalism Network Hub, and made possible by a grant from , a racial and community healing initiative from the Illinois Department of Human Services in partnership with the Field Foundation.

Image description: A promotional graphic with a deep purple background featuring geometric shapes in lighter purple tones. Bold white text at the top reads "Healing Illinois: Democracy Lives Here Journalism & Storytelling Reporting Project." At the center is a screenshot of a Capitol News Illinois article showing a photograph of a Vote-By-Mail Ballot Drop Box on a city street corner on a sunny day. The article headline reads "Illinois county clerks are preparing for mail voting amid continued attacks, changes." Below the screenshot, bold white text reads "Republicans and Democrats Agree: Illinois Mail Voting Works" followed by "Capitol News Illinois Reports" in smaller bold text. At the bottom, the Field Foundation logo appears on the left and the Northwestern Medill logo appears on the right.

05/23/2026

"For 16 years, Latino Unity Day has brought Illinois residents to Springfield not just to protest — but to legislate. The model is specific: participants get issue-specific training before meeting lawmakers, then pair with policy experts who translate community concerns into bill language.

"The results show up in the statehouse. The Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus has grown from a handful of founders in 2002 to 18 senators and representatives today. Advocacy from Latino Unity Day participants helped move the Temp Worker Fairness and Safety Act from introduction to signed law in roughly six months.

"The limits are real, too. This year's attendance dropped from 900 to 600 — organizers say lingering fear around ICE is keeping some of the residents who most need a seat at the table from showing up.

"It's not a generic civic participation," says founder Layla Suleiman Gonzales. "It's very much geared towards how we become active in creating the policies ... that then impacts our everyday lives .... "

Continue reading PART 2 of the ILLatinoNews.com story here:
https://illatinonews.com/illinois-latinos-celebrate-a-year-of-resistance-advocate-for-representation-in-legislature-at-latino-unity-day/

This story is part of the Healing Illinois 2026 Reporting Project, “Democracy Lives Here,” managed by the Medill - Northwestern University Solutions Journalism Network Hub, and made possible by a grant from , a racial and community healing initiative from the Illinois Department of Human Services in partnership with the Field Foundation.

05/21/2026

We are less than two months away from "America @ 250: A Journalism Reckoning!”

July 4, 2026 marks America's Semiquincentennial — the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Anniversaries like this invite both celebration and reflection: on the ideals our founders set forth, and on the ongoing work of living up to them. Among those ideals, a free press — recognized as the Fourth Estate — has always been central as an essential check on power, and a cornerstone of informed civic participation.

Today, that cornerstone faces real pressure. Across the political spectrum, many Americans share concern about the state of public discourse, trust in institutions, and the health of local and national journalism. Journalists across the country have faced mounting challenges — and the U.S. now ranks 64th among 180 nations on the World Press Freedom Index, a drop of seven places from the 2025 index.

So where do we go from here?

"America @ 250: A Journalism Reckoning" is an invitation to Chicago's entire journalism ecosystem for honest conversation on journalism's past, present and future.

Making of a Nation. Unmaking of a Narrative. Who Gets to Tell the Story?

This will be an evening filled with voices that are thoughtful, candid, and grounded in experience. Our esteemed speaker lineup and registration details will be announced soon.

📅 July 16, 2026 🕕 6–9pm 📍 Impact House, 200 W Madison St., 2nd Floor, Chicago



Image description: A green-toned graphic featuring the Statue of Liberty in the background. Text reads: "Save the Date — America @ 250: A Journalism Reckoning. Making of a nation. Unmaking of a narrative. Who gets to tell the story? Thursday, July 16, 2026, 6:00pm–9:00pm, Impact House, 200 West Madison Street, 2nd floor, Chicago, IL." The Field Foundation logo and fieldfoundation.org appear at the bottom.

05/16/2026

“You can’t fight city hall.
“Government doesn’t listen.
“Government is so complicated I don’t know where to go or how to get things done.

“These defeatist sentiments have had emotional currency over centuries precisely because effecting change is hard, particularly for those who are not experts in the system.

“Yet there are levers ordinary people can pull to get things done. There are also buttons one should definitely not push. This Local Democracy Playbook offers some tips for making a difference in your community through the lens of local issues.

“A couple of decades ago, a landowner wanted McLean County approval to dig a gravel pit on Bloomington’s southwest side across from Fox Creek Elementary School.

“It's like, yeah, no. That wasn't going to work,” said Susan Schafer, who got involved because of concerns about dust, noise and children. “We had a group of people, and then we kept pulling more people in.”

“Today, there is no gravel pit inside Bloomington …. ”

Continue reading the WGLT story here: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-05-11/local-democracy-playbook-7-tips-to-get-stuff-done-in-bloomington-normal

This story is part of the Healing Illinois 2026 Reporting Project, “Democracy Lives Here,” managed by the Medill - Northwestern University Solutions Journalism Network Hub and made possible by a grant from , a racial and community initiative from the Illinois Department of Human Services in partnership with the Field Foundation.



Image desciption:

A graphic promoting the Healing Illinois: Democracy Lives Here Journalism & Storytelling Reporting Project, a partnership between Field Foundation and Northwestern Medill. The graphic features a purple geometric background and displays a screenshot of a WGLT Public Radio article titled "Local Democracy Playbook: 7 tips to get stuff done in Bloomington-Normal," by Charlie Schlenker and Lauren Warnecke. The article screenshot includes a branded graphic reading "Local Democracy Playbook: 7 tips for making change, not noise, in McLean County." Below the screenshot, bold white text challenges the familiar saying: "'You can't fight city hall.' Except people in Bloomington-Normal do it all the time — and win." A supporting line reads: "WGLT-Bloomington-Normal's Public Radio created a Local Democracy Playbook offering hard-won lessons from neighbors who've actually moved the needle on issues they care about." The Field Foundation and Northwestern Medill logos appear at the bottom.