NJ Civic Information Consortium

06/04/2026

What happens when no one is there to cover the meeting?

Local reporters shine a light on the decisions that affect our schools, neighborhoods, taxes, public services, and daily lives. They help ensure communities stay informed and leaders remain accountable.

But right now, funding for local news in New Jersey is at risk.

We can’t let New Jersey go dark.

Take two minutes to contact your legislators and urge them to restore funding for local news through the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium.

Together, we can keep New Jersey informed, connected, and heard.

We need your help to protect local journalism in New Jersey. Call or email your legislators today and urge them to support FY2027 funding for the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium.

06/03/2026

New Jersey has thousands of school boards, planning and zoning boards, county boards, and other government entities whose decisions go unreported. The Consortium is helping to close these gaps in coverage with the Documenters program, which trains and pays local journalists to report on these stories. You deserve to know where your tax dollars are going, and what decisions your representatives are making.

If the Consortium is not funded in the state budget, the Documenters program will be at risk. New Jersey has until June 30th to put this funding back in the budget. Contact your legislators today and urge them to fund the Consortium at

njcivicinfo.org/act

06/02/2026

When local news disappears, misinformation spreads faster and communities become less connected. The Consortium supports the reporters and local outlets working every day to keep residents informed about the decisions that impact their lives.

New Jersey cannot afford to walk away from this investment in public information. Contact your representatives today and urge them to fund the Consortium in the state budget, link in bio.

We need your help to protect local journalism in New Jersey. Call or email your legislators today and urge them to support FY2027 funding for the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium.

06/01/2026

In his recent op-ed, Jersey Bee founder Simon Galperin sheds light on the risks proposed New Jersey state funding cuts for NJCIC pose, which jeopardize the support local news and civic information organizations such as the Jersey Bee rely on. Without NJCIC, the gap between what people need to know and what they are able to find will continue to widen.

We won’t go down without a fight – but we need your support. Learn how you can help by taking action at the link in our bio (njcivicinfo.org/act).

We need your help to protect local journalism in New Jersey. Call or email your legislators today and urge them to support FY2027 funding for the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium.

05/29/2026

“Electricity, water, schools, libraries, fire departments… we decided that our communities can’t run without them. Civic information belongs on that list,” shares Simon Galperin, founder of the Jersey Bee, a local news organization and NJCIC grantee.

At NJCIC, we support local news and civic information organizations to keep our communities strong, but now this work is at risk because our funding has been cut from New Jersey’s proposed FY27 budget.

To show your support and help ensure access to local news in your community, take action at njcivicinfo.org/act

We need your help to protect local journalism in New Jersey. Call or email your legislators today and urge them to support FY2027 funding for the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium.

05/28/2026

Access to healthcare, education, jobs, housing, food — all of it runs through who you know and what information you can find,” emphasizes Simon Galperin, in his recent New Jersey Monitor op-ed. Founder of the Jersey Bee, a local news organization and NJCIC grantee, Simon argues that it shouldn’t take luck to access this basic public resource, and we couldn’t agree more – that’s why we have invested over $12 million into strengthening the state’s local news ecosystem.

Now, this work is at risk because NJCIC’s funding has been cut from the state’s proposed FY27 budget. Visit the link in bio (njcivicinfo.org/act) to learn how you can help.

05/27/2026

This AAPI Heritage Month, we’re proud to spotlight Central Desi, a Consortium grantee serving New Jersey’s fast-growing South Asian community. Through support from NJCIC, Central Desi launched a fellowship that brought four young journalists of South Asian descent into local reporting, covering news, culture, and stories that matter to their communities.

The Consortium is proud to support diverse grantees who ensure all stories are heard, and all communities are reached.

A newsletter about the South Asian American experience

05/26/2026

Across the country, conversations about the future of public media continue, but one thing remains clear: communities need trusted local information.

As newsrooms face financial pressure and public media organizations adapt to a changing funding landscape, local journalism becomes even more essential to civic life. Across New Jersey, Consortium grantees are helping fill information gaps, strengthen community connections, and ensure residents have access to reporting that reflects their communities. However, state funding for the Consortium is at risk. Without continued investment, New Jersey could lose critical support for local news organizations working to keep communities informed and engaged.

Local news is not optional infrastructure. It is essential infrastructure.

Take action: njcivicinfo.org/act

05/26/2026

During the Assembly Voting Session on May 18, Assembly Woman Ellen Park, Assemblywoman Shama Haider, Assemblyman Sterley Stanley, Assemblyman Balvir Singh, and Assemblyman Ravi Bhalla honored Asian-American journalists in honor of AAPI Heritage Month.

Local and ethnic media play a critical role in ensuring that information is delivered to each and every New Jerseyan. We are deeply grateful to the Legislative AAPI Caucus for recognizing these journalists and appreciate the Legislature's partnership in uplifting the importance of trustworthy media.

05/20/2026

Access to civic information is a public utility. Without it, residents would not know what decisions their representatives are making, be alerted to public emergencies, or other critical pieces of information. A healthy democracy relies on an informed public.

As the State of New Jersey prepares the budget for FY2027, ask your state legislators to include funding for the Consortium - the only entity of its kind ensuring that reliable civic information stays accessible statewide!

We need your help to protect local journalism in New Jersey. Call or email your legislators today and urge them to support FY2027 funding for the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium.