New Jersey Legislature and Governor Murphy Dedicate $2.5 Million to Fund the State’s Civic Information Consortium

TRENTON — On Monday night, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed the 2026 state budget, including $2.5 million in continued funding for the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium (NJCIC), a first-of-its-kind nonprofit with a mission to invest public funds into supporting and growing trustworthy, community-based news and information sources throughout the state.

Earlier this year, Gov. Murphy’s proposed budget zeroed out funding for the NJCIC, but a groundswell of support from state civic leaders and residents swayed policymakers to ultimately include continued funding. When the consortium was created in 2018, it was hailed nationally as a bold, new concept for local journalism and civic engagement, placing New Jersey at the forefront of innovation in local news and information while creating a funding model for other states to follow. Since it began its grantmaking in 2021, the NJCIC has invested more than $9 million into local news and information projects, with an additional $2 million to $3 million expected to come this year.

Free Press Action led the campaign to conceive the program and pass the legislation, following more than two years of community input and engagement, including ways to ensure the consortium responds to the needs of New Jersey residents and protects the independence of the journalism it funds. The subsequent state funding has helped meet the information needs of residents around New Jersey, especially in underserved communities, low-income communities and communities of color.

Mike Rispoli, Free Press Action’s senior director of journalism and civic information, said:

“The New Jersey Civic Information Consortium was initially created through a grassroots effort to make sure that residents across the state have access to quality, trustworthy news and information. Since its inception, the consortium has greatly benefited communities across the Garden State by investing public funds into news and information projects that improve civic life. It is because of the consortium’s good work that civic leaders and residents rallied to ensure its future success, sharing research and personal stories about how this historic initiative is making a real difference in the lives of everyday New Jerseyans.

“We want to thank Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald, Senator Vin Gopal, Speaker Craig Coughlin, Senate President Nick Scutari, Governor Murphy, and all elected representatives for their continued support. The consortium’s mission is more critical now than ever, with independent journalism under attack and local newsrooms continuing to disappear. Thanks to New Jersey’s policymakers, the consortium will continue to invest in the future of local news, ensuring communities around the state are informed and engaged.”

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