Student / Newspaper Partnership

The NAA Foundation encourages high schools to partner with professional newspapers in their communities and seek funding to start, relaunch or revitalize student newspapers, whether online or in print.

All public and private high schools working in partnership with daily or nondaily professional newspapers are eligible to receive Student/Newspaper Partnership Grants from the NAA Foundation. Schools are also encouraged to seek a university or a college as an additional partner.

Funding priority is given to startup student newspapers. However, grant applications to relaunch or revitalize former or current programs also will be considered.

The NAA Foundation especially welcomes grant applications from urban, rural or minority-majority schools.

Funding Guidelines

Successful applicants will:

• Benefit a rural, minority-majority or urban school population;
• Foster an open exchange of journalistically sound information, news and opinion in that community;
• Provide all required completed documents, including anticipated budgets for Phase I and Phase II funds; and
• Provide a detailed outline describing the role of the professional newspaper and any additional partner.

Projects will be selected based upon:

• Defined level of need;
• Plan for effectively providing the school community with fact-based news, information and opinions;
• Submission of a fund expenditure plan targeting long-term needs; and
• Outlined level of professional newspaper and additional partner commitment (if applicable); and
• Prospects for long-term success beyond the grant years.

Timeline and Funding

Each partnership may receive up to $5,000 in Year One, plus up to an additional $2,500 in Year Two. Funding will come in four tiers over the two-year period.

Year One:

• A total of $1,500 will be available in startup funding to cover adviser training and technology purchases.
• Up to an additional $2,500 will be released just prior to or at the beginning of the fall semester upon the return of a signed grant document. The NAA Foundation will provide a grant document for signature by the publication’s adviser and school principal that outlines the project, details disbursement of the initial funds, addresses the need for and use of additional funds, includes a timetable for publication and demonstrates the school’s commitment to the effort.

• An additional $1,500 may be available after a satisfactory six-month progress report is submitted in conjunction with a publishing projection and funding plan for the next school year.

Year Two:

A final award of $2,500 will be considered for each Year-One partnership that:

• Successfully launches the school newspaper in Year One;
• Meets deadlines to file required progress reports;
• Files a second-year proposal detailing how the school newspaper (and university/college partner, if applicable) will work with the professional newspaper’s business-side departments to develop a plan for sustaining the school newspaper through advertising revenue, circulation sales, donations and/or sponsorships;
• Matches the $2,500 with other support from subscriptions, school funds, donors, advertisers or other sponsors.

Eligible Expenses

Grant funds may be used for equipment, software, adviser training and printing. Grants may not be used to cover stipends.

Reporting Requirements

Grant recipients must publish the first issue within six months of obtaining funding. In addition, they must publish at least three and preferably four or more issues during the school year following initial funding. Short updates will be required quarterly.

Grant recipients must be willing to share their progress and lessons learned in NAA Foundation publications and promotions.

A key factor in selecting grant recipients will be the strength of the professional newspaper partnership as outlined in the grant proposal and the details on how the school newspaper will sustain itself once the grant funds are spent.

Deadline

Applications for Partnership Grants are not being accepted at this time. 

For additional information, contact Sandy Woodcock at sandy.woodcock@naa.org or 571.366.1008.