Citizen Grit wins $10,000 disaster response grant from INN and Google News Initiative
Citizen Grit received its first grant, a $10,000 award from the Institute for Nonprofit News and the Google News Initiative, to support storm coverage in South Cook County.
Citizen Grit was awarded a $10,000 grant from the Institute for Nonprofit News and the Google News Initiative to support its coverage of severe storms in South Cook County.
The award marks the first grant for Citizen Grit, an independent local news startup that covers costs, health, housing and jobs for working people across Cook County.
INN and GNI announced Sept. 18 that they gave $10,000 in unrestricted funds to 23 independent newsrooms covering natural disasters that struck the U.S. in August, including the tornadoes that struck Lansing, Glenwood and nearby areas.
Other county recipients include The Lansing Journal.
"We're grateful these organizations recognized the impact our resource guides had on the area," said Erika Hobbs, founder and editor of Citizen Grit. "These funds will help us build up to the next level and deepen our reporting on rebounding from tornadoes, flooding and severe storms when you're living paycheck to paycheck."
INN and GNI piloted the Disaster Response Fund during the California wildfires in January 2025. INN supported 64 news publications through the fund that year. INN members and independent newsrooms in affected areas can apply.
