San Diego, CA — April 14, 2025— Prebys Foundation announced a major investment of $2 million over two years to support five trusted news organizations that serve San Diego and the state of California. These outlets — recognized for their deep local knowledge, investigative rigor, and community-centered reporting — play an essential role in informing the public, holding institutions accountable, and strengthening civic life.
Grants will be awarded to the Times of San Diego, inewsource, KPBS, Voice of San Diego and CalMatters.
| Summary of Nonprofit News Grantees | Year 1 | Year 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
NEWSWELL/Times of San Diego |
$150,000 |
$150,000 |
$300,000 |
inewsource |
$150,000 |
$150,000 |
$300,000 |
KPBS |
$150,000 |
$150,000 |
$300,000 |
Voice of San Diego |
$150,000 |
$150,000 |
$300,000 |
CalMatters |
$400,000 |
$400,000 |
$800,000 |
Grand Total |
$1,000,000 |
$1,000,000 |
$2,000,000 |
About the Grantees:
Times of San Diego is a general interest news website founded in 2014. It serves 600,000 readers a month with comprehensive daily news in brief, easy-to-read online and mobile formats. The news staff covers politics, crime, business, sports, education, arts, military, science, and health. The site’s content spans the breadth of the region’s diverse communities. Times of San Diego is operated by NEWSWELL, a growing network of local news sites. NEWSWELL is affiliated with the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University. For more information, visit timesofsandiego.com
inewsource is a nonprofit newsroom that for 15 years has served San Diego with investigative reporting that safeguards community interests and holds powerful people to account. inewsource is unique among San Diego news providers for the way it involves community members in its work through its signature Documenters program, which trains and pays people to attend public meetings. inewsource is a leader in innovative storytelling with a staff cartoonist/illustrator. It is the only local member of the Trust Project, an international program that seeks to increase transparency and credibility in journalism. For more information, visit inewsource.org
KPBS is celebrating 65 years of connecting, reflecting and serving San Diego with trusted programming and dialogue. KPBS delivers this content to more than 2 million audience members monthly via multiple platforms, including television, radio, and digital media. As a public service of San Diego State University, education is a core value – from children’s programming to community discussions on important issues our region is facing, to local news coverage. KPBS provides stories that make us think, help us dream, and keep us connected. For more information, visit kpbs.org
Voice of San Diego is a nonprofit, digital news organization founded in 2005 to investigate local institutions and educate people about current events in San Diego public affairs. As the first nonprofit news organization set up to serve a local community, Voice of San Diego became a pioneer for independent reporting and the inspiration to now more than 300 local nonprofit news outlets. Voice of San Diego’s mission is investigative journalism for a better San Diego, and it is made possible by nearly 4,000 donors and dozens of sponsors and foundation grants. For more information, visit vosd.org
CalMatters is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization bringing Californians stories that probe, explain and explore solutions to quality-of-life issues while holding our leaders accountable. With more than 270 media partners, our work reaches 8 million readers in every corner of the state through newspapers, websites, radio, TV, apps and educational materials. For more information, visit calmatters.org
Each of the four San Diego-based outlets will receive $300,000 in general operating support over two years. CalMatters will receive $800,000 to serve as a shared reporting and data resource for regional media partners.
“These nonprofit news organizations are a vital part of our civic infrastructure,” said Grant Oliphant, CEO of the Prebys Foundation. “They help San Diegans make sense of the complex issues facing our region — from climate and housing to education and local governance. And they do it with integrity, insight, and a deep commitment to the communities they serve.”
As federal policies continue to shift, San Diego’s civic leaders and residents face increasingly complex challenges. At the same time, as traditional newsrooms shrink and consolidate, nonprofit journalism is stepping in to fill vital gaps — particularly in communities that have long been overlooked by mainstream media. The Foundation’s investment reflects a deep belief in the power of local, independent reporting to foster belonging, strengthen community connections, and promote a shared sense of purpose.
“This is about more than news — this is about civil discourse,” said Oliphant. “When people have access to trustworthy information, they participate more fully in civic life, make better decisions, and feel more connected to each other and their community. These organizations make that possible.”
The initiative is part of the Foundation’s broader strategy to strengthen civic life and foster a more inclusive and equitable San Diego. In the months ahead, Prebys will also support ethnic and community media, collaborative storytelling, and technical assistance to help nonprofit newsrooms innovate and thrive.
Prebys Foundation encourages other funders and individual donors to donate as they are able to support local media.
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About the Prebys Foundation
Prebys Foundation is the largest independent private foundation in San Diego County, a dynamic tri-national region that spans the communities of San Diego, Tijuana, and the Kumeyaay Nation. Guided by a commitment to purpose, belonging, and opportunity, the Foundation works to build a more vibrant and equitable future for all who call this region home. Through investments in transformative institutions, ideas, and individuals, Prebys seeks to expand opportunity and well-being — ensuring more people are financially secure, healthy, empowered, and connected. Annually, the foundation awards approximately $50 million in grants to community nonprofits to strengthen the region. The foundation recently launched the Prebys Ventures Fund to align a portion of its assets in support of early-stage technology and life sciences enterprises that are essential to San Diego’s innovation economy and long-term prosperity. For more information on the foundation visit: prebysfdn.org.
