RFP: Press Forward Chicago – Education Journalism 2026

RFP Release: February 3, 2026 
Information Sessions: Tuesday, February 17, 2026 @ 2:00 p.m. CT via Teams (Register at this link.)
Full Application Deadline: March 6, 2026
Funding Decisions: April 27, 2026
Announcement: May 11, 2026
General Inquiries: Taylor Moore, tmoore@cct.org
To learn how to apply using the Trust’s GrantCentral system, click here.

Background

Chicago needs more education-focused reporters. With school board elections in November 2026, and recent drastic changes to education funding, the timing is critical to increase education reporting, and to amplify that work to those who need it. Press Forward Chicago is seeking to create a playbook around coverage areas that have seen a steep decline in reporters in recent years. These include education, immigration, healthcare, housing, the criminal legal system, and the environment.

In 2025, Press Forward Chicago and a group of funders came together to create a funding pool specifically for increased education coverage. This coalition of funders includes Press Forward Chicago, The Chicago Community Trust, Crown Family Philanthropies, IMC Chicago Charitable Foundation and the Leading from the Front fund.

Together, we have raised funds to launch a three-year education journalism plan that will start in 2026 with an editorial collaboration led by Chalkbeat Chicago.

Need/Opportunity Statement 

This first phase of the collaboration will focus on the Chicago Board of Education election in November 2026, which will, for the first time, elect civilians in all 21 districts across the city.

This project will take place from June to November 2026. Chalkbeat Chicago will lead collaborative efforts to cover the election across media outlets, including amplification of the work across marketing platforms, partnering with existing education reporters, supporting freelance and staff reporters who are new to education reporting, and laying the foundation for expanded collaboration in future years.

Media organizations are invited to apply for $10,000 to $40,000 in grants for education journalism coverage in 2026.

Goals & Outcomes 

Press Forward Chicago is based at The Chicago Community Trust and is part of a network of more than forty Press Forward chapters across the U.S. focused on supporting sustainable local news and information models. 

While a lot of emphasis for Press Forward Chicago is on shared services, new revenue and audience growth models, we are also leaning heavily into topic-based funding of media organizations. We believe that through the lens of specific subject matter, we can engage new funders and strengthen coverage areas that are critical to civic life and democracy. At the same time, we will create a healthier media network. 

The goal of this particular collaboration/grant program is to inform Chicagoans about the upcoming Chicago Board of Education election in November 2026. The main outcomes of this project will be a voter guide, distributed digitally and in print, and profiles of all candidates across 21 districts, in addition to ongoing coverage about the races.

In the application, we ask that you report back on outcomes using Measures of Progress. Please limit the total number of Measures of Progress and indicators to five maximum to minimize the reporting burden. 

Here are some examples of indicators you could include:

• # of youth that received media-related training
• # Media partnerships
• # Articles/episodes published
• # Readers/viewers/listeners reached (for example: print editions distributed, website visitors, article visitors)
• # Events held (for example: candidate forum, tabling at events)

Eligibility Criteria

• Organization must agree to work with Chalkbeat Chicago as the project coordinator and send representatives to all related meetings.
• Organization must serve audiences in the city of Chicago. Because this project is focused on Chicago Public Schools, outlets that primarily serve Chicago suburbs are not eligible at this time. In 2027, we will offer another education journalism funding opportunity that is open to beats outside CPS.

Grant Amounts Available & Grant Term

These are the types of grants available for this opportunity:

• Tier 1: There will be up to six grants of $40,000 to Chicago-based independent media organizations with a proven record of covering education, school board races, or similar policy issues in Chicago.
• Tier 2: There will be up to two grants of $15,000 each to media organization(s) with a proven record of training youth in media, to involve youth in covering the school board elections.
• Tier 3: There will be up to eight grants of $10,000-$15,000 for media organizations with limited education coverage experience but a willingness to attend trainings and cover these issues and the elections.

Please indicate in the Project Title which tier of funding you are applying for. You may apply for as many tiers as you feel qualified for. If you are unsure, please feel free to contact Taylor Moore at tmoore@cct.org to discuss.

This grant will run as a 6-month grant from June 1 until November 30, 2026. This is the first phase of a three-year education journalism program so there will be opportunities to apply for more funding in 2027.

Grants will come with professional development, toolkits, and other support.

Examples of allowable expenses:

• Salaries for reporters, editors, and other relevant staff
• Stipends for individual education reporters
• Freelancers/internships/fellowships
• Events, such as candidate forums and audience outreach
• Project expenses
• Professional development related to education journalism or skill-building for the participating journalists
• Printing or distribution expenses
• Overhead/indirect*

*Please note that The Chicago Community Trust limits overhead/indirect to 15% of the total budget.

Grant Type

Project-Specific