Local news is how we look out for one another. It explains a school vote in plain language, answers the questions behind your tax bill and introduces you to an exciting new business downtown. When our newsrooms have what they need, we all see clearly and decide together. When they don’t, important choices happen in the dark.

That’s why, beginning today, our newsrooms are joining forces to raise support for the New Hampshire Community News Fund during NewsMatch, a national matching-gift campaign that helps public-service journalism grow. Here’s the simple, powerful math: from now through December 31, every dollar you give can be matched 1:1 up to $1,000 per gift — and together we can unlock up to $20,000 in additional matching funds for New Hampshire.

At the Concord Monitor, the support we receive will be applied to our News For Your Neighbor program, which we introduced last year. In short, News for Your Neighbor funds go to support our journalism, our staff, and allows our readers to donate a gift subscription to someone who otherwise couldn’t afford one. We’ve worked closely with several area nonprofits, from CATCH Housing to Overcomers Refugee Services to give many of their clients deeper access to local news and information. We plan to extend the program this year with subscriptions sent to readers living in care facilities. For many, the daily paper is a lifeline to their community. You can read about how the Monitor is addressing community needs in our annual Report to Readers.

Supporting local newsrooms isn’t about abstract support for “the media.” It’s about the beat reporters who sit through long meetings so you don’t have to; the investigative teams that follow the money; the editors who double-check claims before they become headlines; and the photographers and producers who bring complex issues to life. Strong local coverage saves you time, surfaces solutions and makes public institutions more accountable.

It also protects something deeper. Press freedom and the public’s right to know are not self-executing — they only work when communities use and defend them, and when local newsrooms have the capacity to show up. As we’ve written before, you’re not powerless – every question asked, every meeting attended, and every story shared strengthens these rights in practice.

How NewsMatch works (and how you can tailor your impact)

  • Give once — get matched. Donate by Dec. 31 and your gift can be doubled up to $1,000 per gift.
  • Choose where your gift goes. You can direct 100% to a single outlet, select multiple outlets and split your gift, or give to the NH Community News Fund, which we share among participating partners for statewide reporting and innovation.
  • Help us unlock the full match. Your donation helps us reach the $20,000 match opportunity — and fuels more reporting across the state.

Practical ways to help — beyond giving

  • Share a story with someone who doesn’t usually follow local news.
  • Invite a friend to give $10—every small gift counts double right now.
  • Sponsor a local match. Businesses, foundations, and families can underwrite outlet-specific or regional matching pools (publicly or anonymously) that double neighbors’ gifts and help trigger NewsMatch bonuses.
  • Ask your employer about workplace matching.
  • Tell us what you need covered. Your tips and questions guide our beats.

A note on stewardship

All gifts are processed by the Granite State News Collaborative (GSNC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit; contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law (EIN:88-3783560). GSNC receives donations and regrants them to participating partner outlets — and to the NH Community News Fund, when selected — exclusively for journalistic purposes.

Join us

If you value having reliable information about the place you live, this is the best time of year to act — because your gift goes twice as far. Give what you can, share what you read, and if you’re able, help us seed a local match to lift your hometown’s reporting even higher.

Donate online: NH Community News Fund Drive

Send a check: PO Box 87, Keene, NH, 03431. Make it payable to Granite State News Collaborative, and please remember to include Concord Monitor in the Memo field.

Interested in offering a local match? Contact Monitor publisher Steve Leone at sleone@cmonitor.com or Granite State News Collaborative director Melanie Plenda at melanie.plenda@collaborativenh.org.

Together, we can keep New Hampshire informed, connected, and moving forward — one well-reported story at a time.

In addition to collecting for the NH Community News Fund, these are the participating local news partners: 

Business NH Magazine; Concord Monitor; Granite State News Collaborative; Laconia Daily Sun; Manchester Ink Link; Monadnock Ledger-Transcript; Nashua Ink Link; NH Business Review; NH PBS; NH Public Radio; Valley News.