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Today, we’re launching our annual fundraising campaign in partnership with NewsMatch. Our theme is “Connecting the Basin,” and through this holiday season, we’ll be highlighting the ways the Desk brings people together across viewpoints and landscapes.
Last year, 68 people donated to the Ag & Water Desk, far exceeding our goal. We raised $5,000, which was doubled by NewsMatch to $10,000. That money was put to good use, as we launched a mini-grant program to support professional development for our reporters across the Basin. Some have used funds to attend conferences to learn new skills; others to buy radio equipment to produce multimedia stories for you.
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Desk reporter Bennet Goldstein of Wisconsin Watch paddled a canoe in Rio, Wisconsin. Goldstein reported on how beaver dams could help mitigate severe flooding and drought, which Midwestern states increasingly face. Joe Timmerman/Wisconsin Watch
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This year, we’ve got some bigger opportunities to stretch your generosity. NewsMatch has announced it will match up to $15,000 of
donations, including the total value of monthly contributions. On top of that, because we serve rural audiences, the first $3,000 we raise will be tripled.
This has been an incredible year for the Ag & Water Desk, with big things on the horizon. We launched our collaborative multimedia project, “Down the Drain,” which explored both the plight and beauty of America’s wetlands. We’re adding new folks to the Desk staff, welcoming new reporters, and bringing in five additional newsrooms next summer to reach new communities. To cap it all off, we were recently honored by LION Publishers as its “Collaboration of the Year.”
We’re excited to see where the Desk can go next. Will you help support our mission and provide local news and information to communities across the Mississippi River Basin?
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| Donate today to the Ag & Water Desk!
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