Charlottesville Tomorrow Selected to Join Meta Journalism Project’s US Reader Revenue Accelerator

Meta announced this week that 30 newsrooms across the country, including Charlottesville Tomorrow, will participate in the Meta Journalism Project’s US Reader Revenue Accelerators, a global training program aimed at equipping local news publishers with the skills, tools and resources they need to build viable and adaptable businesses.

This diverse group of participants vary from long standing local news brands, to newer, innovative publishers, to digitally native organizations.

The 9-month virtual training program is built on four pillars:

• Virtual workshops where participants work with experts and participate in hands-on exercises.
• Weekly calls with a dedicated, world-class expert coach.
• Grant funding to execute projects using lessons learned.
• A community of shared practice in which people work together to support one another’s progress.

Meta’s Accelerator is a robust training program built specifically to equip newsroom personnel with the skills, tools and resources they need to build viable and adaptable businesses. The Meta Journalism Project Accelerator has trained staff from more than 400 publishers from around the globe.

The Accelerator’s first and most intensive phase will run from late November 2021 to March 2022, followed by a six-month period where each publisher will work on their individual grant-funded initiative. Charlottesville Tomorrow’s Executive Director Giles Morris, Editor-In-Chief Angilee Shah, Development Director Michaux Hood, and Community Engagement & Marketing Specialist Dan Hennicke will take part in the project.

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The Accelerator Program 

The Meta Journalism Project’s Accelerator program helps news publishers build sustainable businesses. Funded and organized by the Meta Journalism Project, each Accelerator includes a three-month period of hands-on workshops led by news industry veterans, grants administered by non-profit journalism organizations, and regular reports on best business practices. The Accelerator’s executive director is Tim Griggs, an independent consultant/advisor and former New York Times and Texas Tribune executive.