Chicago’s La Raza Receives One of Press Forward’s Inaugural Grants

La Raza, the leading Spanish-language newspaper in Chicago, has received one of the inaugural grants from the Press Forward program, a national philanthropic movement aimed at strengthening communities by revitalizing local media. 

The support awarded to La Raza by Press Forward is one of 205 grants distributed to media outlets across the U.S. —with at least one recipient in every state— that will receive a share of the $20 million allocated to address the gap in local news coverage affecting many communities. 

La Raza is the top and most recognized Spanish-language newspaper in Chicago, serving the city’s Latino community for 54 years. The publication delivers high-quality original content through its print edition, website, newsletter, and social media, playing a vital role in mitigating news deserts in Spanish and providing essential information and empowerment to Chicago’s Latino community. 

“The grant awarded to La Raza by Press Forward fills us with pride and will be crucial in advancing our editorial activities and strengthening our Spanish-language journalism,” said Jesús Del Toro, Director of La Raza. “The support provided by this initiative to media across the country is a clear example of the importance of journalism and the success of philanthropic institutions working together to support local media.” 

Inspired by the extraordinary quality of the proposals received, Press Forward decided to fund twice the number of media outlets originally planned. Over 900 proposals were submitted and reviewed by independent evaluators, who selected the 205 winning recipients. 

In Illinois, the media outlets supported by Press Forward include Cicero Independiente, The Triibe, South Side Weekly, Windy City Times and La Raza in Chicago, and The Kewanee Voice in Kewanee. 

The supported media outlets range from long-standing news organizations adapting and innovating after more than half a century of operation to new nonprofit organizations created to meet the information needs of local communities. Some of these outlets serve the vast American countryside —where they are often the only source of information for hundreds of miles— while others cover people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ+, and linguistically diverse communities who are often overlooked by traditional media. 

In addition to the national Press Forward support, La Raza has received other grants recognizing its efforts to inform, serve, and empower Chicago’s Latino community. These grants include those awarded by Press Forward Chicago, the Chicago Community Trust, the Field Foundation of Illinois, the Google News Initiative/Transformation Tech, and the Facebook Sustainability Accelerator. 

More information about the media outlets supported by Press Forward can be found at pressforward.news/grantees.