The Pivot Fund Pod The Pivot Fund

Amid all the hand-wringing over Sinclair Broadcasting chairman David Smith buying the Baltimore Sun, hardly anyone mentioned that he did it in partnership with Black businessman Armstrong Williams, who is now the first African American to own a major metropolitan newspaper since Bob Maynard bought and revitalized the Oakland Tribune four decades ago.
Like Smith, Williams is a conservative, but in an interview, he describes newsroom independence as a core value and pledges that Sun reporters will continue to follow the facts wherever they lead – even if they lead to the disparagement of Donald Trump.
Tune in for a compelling conversation between Armstrong and Tracie Powell, The Pivot Fund founder and CEO.
About The Pivot Fund
 
The Pivot Fund is a new venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing $500 million into independent BIPOC-led community news outlets through grantmaking, development support, and strategic consulting. For more information on The Pivot Fund, visit thepivotfund.org. 

Who do you need on your team? The hiring process can be daunting, and making the right choices about who to bring on board and when can have a major impact on your newsroom. Zuri Berry, The Baltimore Banner's digital strategy editor; Lisa Snowden, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Baltimore Beat; Susan Gluck Pappajohn, a talent and organizational strategy consultant; and Madeleine Bair, founding director of El Tímpano, shared their experience and approach to growing their teams, tips to secure funding, and more. 
 
Resources mentioned in this episode:
 
Introducing ‘Leavers’: results from a survey of 101 former journalists of color: https://source.opennews.org/articles/introducing-leavers-results-survey/Toward equitable models of journalism sustainability: https://www.eltimpano.org/inside-el-timpano/toward-equitable-models-of-journalism-sustainability/Airtable: https://www.airtable.comLion Publishers: https://www.lionpublishers.comInstitute for Nonprofit News (INN): https://inn.orgThis conversation was sponsored by the Knight Foundation.

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The Pivot Fund is a new venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing $500 million into independent BIPOC-led community news outlets through grantmaking, development support, and strategic consulting. For more information on The Pivot Fund, visit thepivotfund.org. 

In the latest Pivot Publisher Series episode, The Kansas City Defender’s Ryan Sorrell, AfroLA’s Dana Amihere, and Haitian Times’ Garry Pierre-Pierre share innovative strategies to reach Black audiences and share news they can use, including impactful community-based programs, surveys, and social media strategies. The founders also delve into the (sometimes complicated) relationship between digital startups and traditional legacy news with examples of what and how they can learn from one another. This episode is thoughtfully moderated by The Pivot Fund CEO Tracie Powell and sponsored by the Knight Foundation.
The Pivot Fund is a new venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing $500 million into independent BIPOC-led community news outlets through grantmaking, development support, and strategic consulting.

For more information on The Pivot Fund, visit www.thepivotfund.org.

The Pivot Publisher Series aims to equip hyperlocal BIPOC publishers and news leaders with tools, strategies and tactics to support their growth and continued success.Each month, we will gather industry experts, experienced publishers, news leaders and more to share their expertise, best practices and tools to shed light on a variety of topics including organizational design, how to hire top talent and more.
The monthly webinar series kicked off with “Preparing for Transitions: Succession Planning," bringing together the experts and the experienced to share their journeys and tips for navigating the intricacies of succession planning.
How can you exit responsibly and that's respectful to the work that you’ve done? What is philanthropy doing to support digital news pioneers? When is the ideal time to begin preparing?
Moderator Evelyn Hsu, co-executive director at Maynard Institute, and panelists Mukhtar Ibrahim, founder of the Sahan Journal, Randall Yip, founder and editor of AsAmNews and Jane McDonnell, CEO of free range media and former executive director of the Online News Association shared their personal experience, tips for seamless, stress-free leadership transitions, and practical tools to ensure your news organization’s long-term success.
About The Pivot Fund
The Pivot Fund is a new venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing $500 million into independent BIPOC-led community news outlets through grantmaking, development support, and strategic consulting. For more information on The Pivot Fund, visit www.thepivotfund.org. 

At The Pivot Fund, we know true empowerment for community-led news outlets goes beyond the headlines. It's about providing the necessary tools and support to drive sustainable growth and success. That's why we're thrilled to partner with Justworks, a Professional Employer Organization (PEO), to bring you an exciting opportunity! The Just Thrive program offers women and minority-owned businesses a grant to support their administrative services.

Solutions That Just Work reviews practical HR tips for startups and resources to streamline processes, save time, comply with state and federal laws and regulations, and more.

Guests:

Tracie Powell, Founder and CEO, The PIvot FundKhadija Collins, Operation Manager, Documented NYVania Andre, Chief Technology Officer, Haitian TimesDoug Drosin, Channel Manage, Partnerships, JustworksMoses Balian, HR Consultant, Justworks
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The Pivot Fund is a new venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing $500 million into independent BIPOC-led community news outlets through grantmaking, development support, and strategic consulting. For more information on The Pivot Fund, visit https://thepivotfund.org. 

BIPOC news leaders have a hard time overcoming racial bias to find funding and support.
Black women are starting businesses at the fastest clip of any other racial group. Many of these startups don’t reach their full potential — or fail — in part because they can't raise the capital to start or sustain their businesses.
In that spirit, The Pivot Fund held an intimate conversation between Amethyst J. Davis, the founder and publisher of the Harvey World Herald, and Wendi C. Thomas, the founder and publisher of MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, a nonprofit based in Memphis, Tennessee. Though at different points in their journeys, Davis and Thomas discuss their difficulties and challenges as startup newsroom leaders.
Panelists included:
 
Amethyst J. Davis, The Harvey World HeraldWendi C. Thomas, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism 
About The Pivot Fund
The Pivot Fund is a new venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing $500 million into independent BIPOC-led community news outlets through grantmaking, development support, and strategic consulting. For more information on The Pivot Fund, visit www.thepivotfund.org.