In 2023, The Philadelphia Citizen joined 51 other Philadelphia news and community organizations in the inaugural Every Voice, Every Vote, a citywide collaboration that strove to bring community issues to the fore in advance of a mayoral and City Council election. Today, The Citizen rejoins this effort, now striving to hold power to account. Below, read the official announcement from The Lenfest Institute for Journalism.
More than 70 Philadelphia media organizations and community groups are partnering with the Every Voice, Every Vote coalition to launch journalism and civic engagement projects that connect residents to local government and track the progress of the city’s new administration.
The 71 media and community organizations have been awarded a total of $2.875 million by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, which manages Every Voice, Every Vote. Philadelphians are eager for positive change, and the funding will enable partners to focus on public safety, affordable housing, sanitation, education, economic opportunities and other issues that matter to their communities.
The partners behind the project
Lead support for Every Voice, Every Vote in 2024 and 2025 is provided by the William Penn Foundation with additional funding from The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, Comcast NBC Universal, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Henry L. Kimelman Family Foundation, Judy and Peter Leone, Arctos Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, 25th Century Foundation and Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation.
The Every Voice, Every Vote partners represent the full diversity of Philadelphia. Community media organizations including Inti Media, Madre Tierra, New Mainstream Press, WURD Radio, FunTimes Magazine and the Philadelphia Gay News will cover the issues and conversations that matter most to their communities.
Digital media companies including The Philadelphia Citizen, Philadelphia Hall Monitor, Generocity and Chalkbeat will join legacy outlets like The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Tribune and WHYY to make the city’s government more accessible through news coverage and engagement initiatives.
Neighborhood organizations including Children First PA, Committee of Seventy, Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, PA Youth Vote, and more will provide community members opportunities to make their voices heard and engage in civic processes.
All reporting and events hosted by Every Voice, Every Vote partners will be free to access and be shared on everyvoice-everyvote.org.
Calls to action
Grant funding ranges from $10,000 to $130,000 to support community-centered projects that will run from July 2024 through December 2025 and prioritize solutions-focused accountability reporting, civic engagement and more through four distinct calls to action:
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- Be heard: Let public officials and fellow community members know our priorities — at the polls and in our neighborhoods.
- Be engaged: Participate in town halls and civic engagement events to dive deep into the issues that matter most.
- Be accountable: Transcend apathy and ensure public officials and communities are doing their part.
- Take action: Make change in small and big ways: Sign petitions; show up to public meetings; unite our neighborhoods around important issues.
Throughout 2024 and 2025, Every Voice, Every Vote will build upon its initial success as Philadelphia’s largest-ever collaborative journalism and community engagement effort. In the run-up to the city’s 2023 municipal elections, 130 media, community, and social media coalition partners created more than 365 civic engagement projects and published nearly 600 pieces of journalism to inform voters. The coalition hosted 38 candidate forums and published resources in 15 languages.
“As we build on the momentum of the first round of Every Voice, Every Vote, we are again seeking to engage Philadelphians in every neighborhood across the city to ensure that their voices are heard and the issues that they most care about are being addressed,” said Lenfest Institute Head of Philadelphia Programs Shawn Mooring.
In addition to the funded partners, the Every Voice, Every Vote coalition includes 6abc, FOX29, NBC10/Telemundo62, and additional local media and community organizations. Every Voice, Every Vote has also partnered with local independent social media creators.
Nine media organizations and 15 community organizations are joining Every Voice, Every Vote coalition for the first time.
Learn more about Every Voice, Every Vote and sign-up for email updates about the project at everyvoice-everyvote.org. Others interested in learning more about how to join Every Voice, Every Vote or support the project can email voicevotephilly@lenfestinstitute.org.
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