Dear [Funder]:

Our station’s mission is to provide accurate, relevant journalism that stimulates dialogue and discovery. It is also to provide a public service to the communities we cover. 

To bolster our role in the community, and trust in our journalism, we’re embarking on a  strategic shift over the next three years to focus on community engagement journalism. 

It’s a strategy that starts with listening to communities to understand their local information needs, and then meeting them where they are — whether it’s with a specialized newsletter, a new beat in the newsroom or an investigative project.   

[PROJECT DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE] In the coming months we want to focus our attention specifically on [specific community] in our [city, region, state] to better understand their concerns and needs. We are planning to collaborate with nonprofit organizations, community leaders, church and school organizations in this community and invite community members to a series of in-person/virtual listening sessions to assess information needs and priorities. 

Our deliverables will include [number] community conversations, [number] feature length stories and [number] talk shows that are driven by what we hear. 

With your investment of [$], we can invest in these new relationships and produce relevant and needed content. We can tell stories that haven’t been told, expand public media’s fanbase and strengthen its role in our community. 

Thank you for your consideration.