City Bureau

Mission

Lever for Change Stronger Democracy Awardee

Over the past 6 years, we’ve trained hundreds of Documenters and over 100 reporting fellows whose work has inspired protests, policy changes and transformative conversations across Chicago and around the world. And this is just the beginning.

Contribute today to help support Documenters, Fellows and hosts for our Public Newsrooms, by creating paid opportunities for you and your neighbors to make journalism that matters.

City Bureau’s vision of a more effective, equitable and trustworthy journalism only becomes real if people like you think it’s worth investing in. By donating, you’re not just supporting our work, you’re becoming part of it.

The Stronger Democracy Award is a competition to identify bold solutions addressing systemic
barriers and advancing structural reforms in three key areas of U.S. democracy: Voting and elections, policymaking,
and civic engagement. The Award is managed by Lever for Change, a nonprofit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine
T. MacArthur Foundation that uses open and transparent competitions to help donors identify and fund high-impact
solutions for significant societal challenges.

Funding Opportunities
• A gift of $1 million enables City Bureau to hire staff for new Documenters programs and improve open-source technology,
tools, and learning resources.
• A gift of $5 million enables City Bureau to establish network hubs covering nine regions across the U.S., laying the groundwork for a national infrastructure.

Organization Information