Business NH Magazine is among seven NH news organizations selected to particpate the 2026 state cohorts of the Lab for Journalism Funding, a program of Local Media Association.  The Lab for Journalism Funding is serving newsrooms in three states this year: New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Wyoming. This intensive, six-month program will bring the lab’s fundraising practices to 17 independent news organizations across these states.

The organizations selected for the 2026 Lab for Journalism Funding state cohorts represent local newsrooms ranging from print newspapers to public radio stations. The organizations serve diverse communities across the states of New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Wyoming, and are all united in their focus on civic journalism. These cohorts of the Lab for Journalism Funding are made possible with support from Google News Initiative and are in partnership with the Granite State News Collective, Oklahoma Media Center and Wyoming Local News Fund.

Since its launch in 2020, the lab has helped more than 200 news organizations raise more than $40 million to support local journalism. Newsrooms in the new cohort will learn best practices documented in LMA’s industry report, Pathways to Philanthropy, and its 2024 report, Sustaining Philanthropy for Journalism.

The lab will help local news organizations develop and execute comprehensive programs to secure philanthropic support for their essential local journalism that is responsive to community priorities. Each publisher in the cohorts will set a fundraising goal, receive customized coaching and create and pitch a journalism project to be funded through philanthropy. Newsrooms will also gather for an in-person training and have the chance to compete for stipends to kick-start their projects. The lab runs from August through February 2026.

The news organizations selected are:

New Hampshire:

Oklahoma

Wyoming

The cohort will be led by Frank Mungeam, chief innovation officer at LMA. The cohort will be supported by project and programming manager Nina Joss and Liz White Notarangelo, former publisher of the Record-Journal (Meriden, Connecticut) and a graduate of the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding and LMA Advanced Fundraising Lab.

The newsrooms will work one-on-one with a team of best-in-class coaches including Joaquin Alvarado, who has been instrumental in the development of philanthropic funding at The Seattle Times and other local newsrooms; executive coach Joanne Heyman; experienced media executive Samantha Johnston; and Judi Terzotis who, as CEO, has helped dramatically grow philanthropic support for journalism at Georges Media Group.

LMA is excited to bring this training to news organizations serving their local communities, thanks to support from Google News Initiative and local partnerships in each state.

“As a long-standing partner of the Lab for Journalism Funding, we remain dedicated to supporting the 2026 state cohorts,” says Suzanne Perron, News Partner Manager at Google. “Building on last year’s success, we are thrilled to support the program in New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and Wyoming, and we look forward to our continued work alongside LMA and its members.”

“Collaboration has always been at the heart of what we do,” says Melanie Plenda, executive director of Granite State News Collaborative in New Hampshire. “No single newsroom can solve the challenges facing local journalism on its own, but together we can learn faster, test new ideas and build stronger support for the journalism our communities rely on. We’re excited to work alongside news organizations from New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Wyoming to explore new fundraising strategies and bring those lessons home to strengthen local news across our state.”

LMA will publish case studies on publisher lessons and successes from the lab that can be applied across the news industry.

“At Business NH Magazine, our goal is to bring quality journalism to the [New Hampshire] business community through our print publication, e-newsletters, podcast episodes and online coverage. As part of the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding, we look forward to learning new strategies to support and advance our journalism through philanthropic giving so we can continue to bring our audience the relevant and in-depth content they have relied on us to provide for over 40 years,” says Christine Carignan, co-publisher and COO of Business NH Magazine and Granite Media Group. 

 

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