URL Media has secured a $5 million Knight Foundation grant to scale its partner-first model for sustainable community media. Over three years, the network will grow from 37 to 100 publishers and expand to 250 creators, aiming to reach 50 million people nationwide by 2028.
URL Media’s announcement of a $5 million investment from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation marks one of the most significant commitments in recent years to the future of community journalism. At a time when news deserts widen, digital business models collapse, and BIPOC communities face targeted misinformation, the investment positions URL Media as a rare national platform built deliberately to strengthen trusted local outlets serving Black and Brown audiences. For an industry grappling with fragmentation and dwindling resources, the grant represents a vision of what sustainable, community-centered media infrastructure could look like when it’s given room to grow.
Founded in 2021 by media leaders Sara Lomax and S. Mitra Kalita, URL Media has spent nearly five years proving that a partner-first model can work in an environment where many newsrooms struggle to survive. Lomax, who also leads Philadelphia’s WURD Radio, and Kalita, whose extensive experience spans CNN Digital, The Wall Street Journal, and Epicenter NYC, built the network as both a hub for independent publishers and a platform for original editorial production. The core idea was deceptively simple: combine the reach of a national organization with the authenticity and trust of hyperlocal publishers deeply embedded in their communities. With the Knight Foundation’s support, that idea is set to scale on an unprecedented level.
When URL Media launched in January 2021, it started with eight partners. Today, the network has grown to 37 publishers reaching more than 25 million people. The new funding will accelerate that growth to 100 publishers and 250 creators by 2028, expanding the network’s reach to 50 million people across all 50 states. For Lomax, the impact goes beyond numbers. She describes the initiative as an effort to build pathways to generational wealth and operational resilience for community media outlets that have historically faced chronic underinvestment. URL Media’s name—Uplift, Respect, and Love—encapsulates the philosophy underpinning that mission.
The timing of the Knight Foundation grant is significant. As Lomax notes, the moment is one of profound threat for local media. Misinformation spreads rapidly, newsrooms continue to lose staff and funding, and many independent outlets lack the resources to compete in a national media economy dominated by giants. URL Media is attempting to flip that script through a multi-revenue model that not only brings advertisers to local publishers but also provides the infrastructure necessary for long-term financial stability. Between now and 2028, the organization expects to distribute more than $5 million to its partners while establishing revenue systems designed to sustain them long after the grant period ends.
At the core of URL Media’s plan are four integrated business lines that together form a blueprint for sustainable community journalism. The advertising aggregation model allows national brands to reach authentic BIPOC audiences through a single order and unified execution across the network. For many small publishers, this represents access to revenue streams that would otherwise remain out of reach. The editorial production arm elevates partner voices while generating original content tailored to the lived experiences of Black and Brown communities. Partner services offer capacity building—from financial assistance to video production support and professional development—while the recruitment and talent development division helps diversify and strengthen the media workforce.
Kalita describes the grant as a recognition that partner-first economics not only work but can thrive. Publishers maintain editorial independence, she emphasizes, while gaining access to national advertisers, public service campaigns, and operational support that allow them to focus on impactful journalism. The Knight Foundation investment, she says, empowers URL Media to scale this model and demonstrate how social impact, business success, and community-rooted expertise can bolster each other rather than compete.
One of the most ambitious aspects of URL Media’s strategy lies in the infrastructure it plans to build with the grant. By 2026, the organization will launch a centralized ad-operations system and Data Insights platform. These tools will streamline campaign execution for advertisers and offer transparent audience verification—an often-overlooked challenge for smaller outlets that lack sophisticated analytics capabilities. For publishers, this shared infrastructure opens the door to operational efficiencies typically reserved for larger organizations with deeper pockets. It also allows URL Media to surface real-time trends and story ideas emerging from communities, further strengthening the value of bottom-up journalism.
Financial and operational support is another pillar of the initiative. The Media Resilience Fund, expanded through the partnership with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, will provide low-interest loans ranging from $30,000 to $100,000. Grant identification services, a managed internship program launching in 2026, and professional development resources will help publishers build their capacity and plan for long-term sustainability. URL Media also offers editorial amplification through newsletters, its website, and coordinated funding opportunities designed to ensure that community issues receive consistent, meaningful coverage.
The third major component—strategic access and revenue pathways—is built around relationships. URL Media will connect partners directly to advertisers, funders, policymakers, and industry events that have historically been difficult for local publishers to access. With dedicated PR services and preferential access to recruitment support, publishers gain visibility that can translate into tangible financial and operational gains. The organization will also test a revenue-sharing pilot for executive search placements, reinforcing the network’s commitment to career development.
For advertisers, URL Media solves a long-standing problem: reaching Black and Brown audiences authentically and at scale. These communities represent more than 40 percent of the U.S. population and possess an estimated $5 trillion in buying power, yet many major brands struggle to engage them without falling into tokenism or misalignment. URL Media’s aggregation model offers a solution—one that combines national reach with the credibility of deeply trusted local voices.
The editorial expansion, supported by the investment, reflects URL Media’s commitment to addressing pressing community needs. Three content verticals—URWell, URWealth, and URHired—focus on health equity, financial wellness, and career development, respectively. Each vertical highlights issues that disproportionately affect Black and Brown communities while offering brands in healthcare, finance, and HR new opportunities for meaningful sponsorships rooted in authentic storytelling.
For the Knight Foundation, the investment aligns with its broader mission to support journalism, free expression, and community-centered media innovation. Amalie Nash, the foundation’s vice president for journalism, describes URL Media’s work as an example of the “durable, community-centered infrastructure that local news needs to survive and thrive.” The organization’s model, she says, not only strengthens BIPOC newsrooms but also expands access to trusted information and demonstrates what the future of local journalism can look like.
With this grant, URL Media stands at a pivotal moment. Its rapid growth, multi-revenue model, and emphasis on operational infrastructure offer a hopeful counterpoint to the broader narrative of decline in the media industry. As the company prepares to enter its fifth year in 2026, the Knight Foundation investment gives it the momentum to scale widely without losing the authenticity that has made it central to the communities it serves. And in a media landscape where trust is fragile and equitable representation is scarce, URL Media’s partner-first approach offers a blueprint for rebuilding journalism from the ground up—one local, deeply rooted story at a time.
