Pulitzer Center Update April 22, 2016
Inside Philanthropy: A Donor Steps Forward to Help Close the (Growing) International Reporting Gap
As part of the Pulitzer Center's 10th anniversary celebration, Board Chair Emily Rauh Pulitzer promised a match of up to $12 million for every dollar pledged to an endowment for the Center. Mark Scutari of Inside Philanthropy recently commented on this strong show of support:
While thousands of smartphone-equipped individuals can "report" on a news item in some far-flung location, eminently trained journalists have no choice but to stay home and view the photos on their Twitter feed.
The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting is acutely aware of this challenge. It provides funds for international reporting to small outlets that otherwise couldn't afford it. And now Emily Rauh Pulitzer, one of the center's founding donors, is pledging $12 million to the center with a catch: Pulitzer Center officials must attract gifts of up to $12 million from other donors to provide a total of $24 million for an endowment.
Needless to say, Pulitzer views the gift as an integral step in ensuring the center's long-term financial stability. "The institution has to go beyond the present donors and the leadership," she said. "We've seen how matching grants have brought in new donors, and significant ones. If the institution is to survive, that's crucial."
The center gives out more than 100 grants annually and is set to award a total of $1.6 million this year to journalists covering stories around the globe. The center receives support from the Gates Foundation, which backed global health and development stories and has helped the center expand its partnerships with European news organizations, and the MacArthur Foundation, which gave the center a new grant of $2.5 million for general operating support in December.