GNI Growth Catalyst Program
Welcome to the Google News Initiative (GNI) Growth Catalyst Program, an initiative designed to help already successful news organizations achieve significant growth. This program provides funding and operational support to enable expansion, better product development, and increased revenue. We aim to support high-performing organizations in expanding geographically, particularly into underserved communities and news deserts. This initiative is focused on "raising the ceiling" for excellent news organizations with clear expansion plans.
Ready to grow?
Learn more about eligibility and apply now.
About the Program
Our Mission: The GNI Growth Catalyst Program aims to fuel the expansion of high-performing news organizations across the U.S., enabling them to improve their sustainability by serving more communities with strong local journalism.
Who Should Apply: This program is designed for news organizations that have already demonstrated success and are ready to take their impact to the next level. We are looking for organizations with a strong track record and a clear vision for growth.
Our Approach: We provide tailored support, including consulting, coaching, strategic planning, and financial grants, to help selected organizations achieve their growth objectives. We also aim to foster a learning environment where insights and best practices are shared to benefit the wider news ecosystem.
What’s Included:
Up to $400,000 in support for expansion into new markets (including audience, revenue, and business/operational resources);
One year of expert consulting, coaching, and strategic planning support from Blue Engine Collaborative;
And collaboration with other publishers pursuing geographic expansion.
Who can apply?
We are seeking applications from high-performing, U.S.-based news organizations with a strong potential for geographic expansion and a commitment to growth and innovation. The selection process will be based on a range of factors, including but not limited to:
Proven Excellence: The initiative is designed to support organizations that have already demonstrated success and strong leadership in their core market(s). This includes metrics related to the existing audience, revenue, and overall business performance, as well as demonstration of strong organizational leadership, as evidenced by innovation in product or technology delivery, clear strategic direction, and smart investments in business and infrastructure.
Clear Geographic Expansion Potential: A clear plan to expand into new territory within the U.S. with the following core components:
Audience insight: Understanding of the market’s audience needs, key community partners, and a plan for building community engagement over time.
Market analysis: a strong understanding of the market(s) audience and monetization potential, competitive landscape, and investment requirements building to a feasible plan for entering the market(s).
Clear expansion strategy: a clearly defined plan for how they will utilize audience insights and market analysis to enter the new market(s) including marketing, community listening and partnerships in pursuit of clear three-year SMART goals for business performance in the market.
Commitment to Learning and Sharing: A willingness to share lessons learned with the wider ecosystem through thought leadership and collaboration with other organizations.
Applications that hit any of these categories will also accrue additional value:
Expanding into underserved communities, including areas with little to no public interest journalism (news deserts).
Growth Investments
The GNI Growth Catalyst Program offers three levels of funding and support to accommodate various expansion plans and organizational needs. As part of your application, you will be asked to indicate which funding tier you are applying for and to share your plans for what you could achieve with the different funding amounts available.
Investment levels:
Tier 1: $400,000. This tier is intended for organizations with ambitious expansion plans that require significant investment to achieve substantial reach and impact.
Tier 2: $300,000. This tier is suitable for organizations with well-defined expansion strategies that require a significant level of support to execute effectively.
Tier 3: $150,000. This tier is designed for organizations with targeted expansion goals that can be achieved with a focused investment.
Sustainability: Regardless of the funding tier, you will need to share your plans on how you would plan to sustain your activities beyond the first year. This information will be crucial in our evaluation process.
Coaching support: All Growth Catalyst publishers will receive one year of coaching from Blue Engine Collaborative in support of their expansion goals. This will include collaboration with other publishers also pursuing geographic expansion.
How to Apply
Complete the online application form.
Optional: Upload supporting documents (e.g., strategic plan, financing plans, etc.).
A complete expansion budget will be required for organizations as part of the final review.
Application deadline: 11:59 p.m. CT on May 20, 2025.
Review the FAQ for answers to common questions.
How Applications Will Be Reviewed
Applications will be reviewed based on the eligibility and selection criteria outlined above. We will be looking for organizations with a strong track record, a clear and feasible expansion plan, a commitment to serving new communities, and a well-articulated strategy for utilizing the requested funding. The information provided regarding your plans for different funding levels and sustainability will be carefully considered. We aim for a clear and transparent application process and will emphasize data-driven evaluations using concrete and verifiable metrics.
We intend for grants to be distributed in the third quarter of 2025 and coaching to begin in the same quarter.
Please email david@blueenginecollaborative.com with any application questions.
FAQs
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The program aims to fuel the expansion of high-performing news organizations across the U.S., enabling them to improve their sustainability by serving more communities with strong local journalism. It also aims to "raise the ceiling" for excellent news organizations with clear expansion plans. It focuses on supporting high-performing organizations in expanding geographically, particularly into underserved communities and news deserts.
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This program is designed for American news organizations that have already demonstrated success and are ready to take their impact to the next level. The program seeks applications from high-performing news organizations with a strong potential for geographic expansion and a commitment to growth and innovation.
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A clear plan for growing into new market(s) in the short-term and making these markets sustainable in the long-term that builds on your organization’s existing success.
Key indicators for this potential include a thoughtful application that addresses the following points.
Audience insight: Understanding of the new market’s audience needs, key community partners, and a plan for building community engagement over time.
Market analysis: A strong understanding of the new market(s) audience and monetization potential, competitive landscape, and investment requirements building to a feasible plan for entering the market(s).
Clear expansion strategy: A clearly defined plan for how they will utilize audience insights and market analysis to enter the new market(s) including marketing, community listening and partnerships in pursuit of clear three-year SMART goals for business performance in the market.
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Yes, applications that involve expanding into underserved communities, including areas with little to no public interest journalism (news deserts), will accrue additional value.
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Key benefits include up to $400,000 in support for expansion into new markets, one year of expert consulting, coaching, and strategic planning support from Blue Engine Collaborative, and collaboration with other publishers pursuing geographic expansion.
Applicants can apply for funding at one of three levels: $150,000, $300,000 or $400,000. These grants will be paid out in different tranches starting in Q3 2025.
In addition, selected organizations will receive one year of tailored coaching from Blue Engine Collaborative.
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Geographic expansion can be a valuable strategy to improve the sustainability of news organizations of many sizes. As such, the funding tiers accommodate various expansion plans and organizational needs. The level you apply for should best align with your plans.
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You may also choose to upload presentations, strategic plans, budgets or other supporting information about your approach to illustrate aspects of your proposal that are not requested in the application.
A complete expansion budget will be required for organizations as part of the final review. -
Applications received by midnight on May 20, 2025 will be reviewed based on the eligibility and selection criteria. The reviewers will look for organizations with a strong track record, a clear and feasible expansion plan, a commitment to serving new communities, and a well-articulated strategy for utilizing the requested funding. The information provided regarding your plans for different funding levels and sustainability will also be carefully considered. The program aims for a data-driven evaluation using concrete and verifiable metrics. Finalists will be asked to submit a complete budget and provide additional details.
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Regardless of the funding tier, you will need to share your plans on how you would plan to sustain your activities beyond the first year. This information will be crucial in the evaluation process.
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Yes, the program fosters collaboration with other publishers pursuing geographic expansion. The program also aims to foster a learning environment where insights and best practices are shared to benefit the wider news ecosystem. A willingness to share learnings and best practices is valued in the application process.
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