Prebys Foundation Provide a Financial Lifeline - $2 Million to San Diego Nonprofit Journalism

 

Conrad Prebys (SDSU photo) His foundation continues to give back to the community.

Prebys Foundation Invests $2 Million in San Diego Nonprofit Journalism

April 14, 2025

The Conrad Prebys Foundation announced yesterday a significant $2 million investment in local nonprofit journalism, aiming to strengthen San Diego's media landscape amid declining traditional newsrooms.

The foundation's grants will support five nonprofit news organizations over the next two years, with Times of San Diego, inewsource, KPBS, and Voice of San Diego each receiving $300,000 in general operating support. California's statewide nonprofit newsroom CalMatters will receive $800,000 to serve as a shared reporting and data resource for regional media partners.

"These nonprofit news organizations are a vital part of our civic infrastructure," said Grant Oliphant, CEO of the foundation. "They help San Diegans make sense of the complex issues facing our region — from climate and housing to education and local governance. And they do it with integrity, insight, and a deep commitment to the communities they serve."

The funding comes at a critical time when traditional print and broadcast newsrooms continue to shrink nationwide. The initiative aims not only to provide financial support but also to foster collaboration among the outlets, including content sharing and development of new revenue streams.

According to the foundation, this journalism investment is part of a broader strategy to strengthen civic life and foster a more inclusive and equitable San Diego. In the coming months, Prebys plans to expand support to ethnic and community media, collaborative storytelling projects, and technical assistance to help nonprofit newsrooms innovate and thrive.

This initiative builds on the foundation's history of supporting media in San Diego County. In 2021, KPBS received an $8 million grant over five years, which was the second-largest donation in the foundation's inaugural grant cycle. Those funds helped expand KPBS's newsroom and facilities.

The Prebys Foundation, established from the estate of real estate developer and philanthropist Conrad Prebys who died in 2016, is the largest independent private foundation in San Diego County. The foundation has emerged as a major force in local philanthropy, with previous grants supporting arts, healthcare, medical research, and youth success programs throughout the region.

In announcing the journalism grants, the foundation also encouraged other funding organizations and individual donors to join in supporting local media, emphasizing the essential role independent journalism plays in maintaining a healthy democracy and informed community.

Sources

1. Times of San Diego. (2025, April 13). Prebys Foundation invests $2 million in San Diego nonprofit news, including Times of San Diego. https://timesofsandiego.com/business/2025/04/13/prebys-foundation-invests-2-million-in-san-diego-nonprofit-news-including-times-of-san-diego/

2. KPBS. (2021, March 23). Conrad Prebys Foundation Announces Nearly $78 Million in Grants. https://www.kpbs.org/news/2021/03/23/conrad-prebys-foundation-announces-nearly-78-milli

3. inewsource. (n.d.). Investigative journalism for San Diego & Imperial counties. https://inewsource.org/

4. San Diego Union-Tribune. (2021, March 23). San Diego arts, health, science and youth groups to share $71M from Prebys Foundation. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2021/03/23/san-diego-arts-health-science-and-youth-groups-to-share-71m-from-prebys-foundation/

5. PR Newswire. (2024, August 1). Prebys Introduces 2024 Grant Funding to Strengthen San Diego County's Arts and Culture Landscape. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/prebys-introduces-2024-grant-funding-to-strengthen-san-diego-countys-arts-and-culture-landscape-302212217.html

A Financial Lifeline for San Diego's Nonprofit News Ecosystem

The $2 million investment from the Conrad Prebys Foundation represents a significant financial boost for San Diego's nonprofit journalism landscape at a critical time for local news.

Impact on Recipients

Times of San Diego, inewsource, Voice of San Diego, and KPBS will each receive $300,000 in general operating support over the next two years, while CalMatters will receive $800,000 to serve as a shared reporting and data resource. For these organizations, the funding provides crucial stability in an uncertain media environment.

For Voice of San Diego, which according to historical data has operated on an annual budget of approximately $1.2 million, the $300,000 grant represents about 12.5% of their operating budget over two years. As one of the first digital-only nonprofit newsrooms in the country founded in 2005, Voice of San Diego has relied on a combination of memberships, high-level donors, foundation grants, and sponsorships to sustain its operations.

inewsource, founded in 2009 as a nonprofit investigative journalism outlet, is planning significant growth. According to available information, inewsource was projecting to scale its staff from 13 to 27 people over a two-and-a-half year period, making this grant particularly timely for their expansion efforts.

KPBS, as a larger public media organization operating as a department of San Diego State University, has a more substantial budget but has also benefited significantly from foundation support. Earlier in 2024, KPBS received a $3 million gift from Joan and Irwin Jacobs for a democracy project that also involves collaboration with inewsource and Voice of San Diego.

Times of San Diego appears to receive the most significant proportional benefit from the Prebys Foundation grant. As a smaller digital outlet with an estimated annual budget of around $600,000, the $150,000 annual grant represents approximately 25% of their operating budget, potentially enabling expanded coverage and additional reporting capacity.

Collaborative Potential

The Prebys grant is designed not just for individual organizational support but to foster collaboration among these outlets. This is part of a growing trend in San Diego, where these organizations are already working together on the "Public Matters" initiative launched in 2024.

Public Matters is a joint project of inewsource, KPBS, and Voice of San Diego aimed at expanding civic engagement and providing San Diegans with better information about local decision-making. The Prebys funding will likely strengthen this collaborative ecosystem.

Federal Funding Vulnerabilities

The Prebys Foundation's support comes at a time when public media organizations face uncertainty about federal funding. KPBS, which receives approximately $3.2 million annually from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), could become more dependent on foundation support if federal funding were reduced or eliminated.

In fiscal year 2016, KPBS reported $33 million in operating expenses with CPB grants accounting for about 9.7% of their budget. If this federal funding were lost, the relative significance of the Prebys grant would increase, and KPBS would likely need to reconsider aspects of its programming and mission.

This vulnerability highlights why diversified funding sources—including foundation grants like the Prebys donation—are increasingly vital to the sustainability of public media organizations. For smaller outlets like Times of San Diego that don't receive federal funding, foundation support already represents their financial lifeline.

Context of Industry Challenges

This investment comes as traditional media outlets continue to face severe financial challenges:

• The San Diego Union-Tribune has experienced multiple rounds of layoffs in recent years
• Nationwide, more than 2,900 newspapers have closed since 2005
• Advertising revenue that once sustained local journalism has largely shifted to tech platforms
• News deserts, areas with limited or no local news coverage, have expanded across the country

Long-term Significance

Beyond the immediate financial relief, the Prebys Foundation's investment signals growing recognition that nonprofit journalism is becoming an essential component of healthy civic infrastructure. By encouraging content sharing and collaborative reporting, the grant could help create a more sustainable model for local journalism in San Diego that might be replicated elsewhere.

The foundation's commitment to also support ethnic and community media in future funding rounds suggests a comprehensive approach to strengthening the entire local information ecosystem, rather than just supporting a few high-profile outlets.

Sources

1. Voice of San Diego Mission Page. Retrieved from https://voiceofsandiego.org/about-us/our-mission/

2. Journalism.co.uk (2016). How Voice of San Diego is helping five newsrooms bring memberships into the revenue mix. Retrieved from https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/voice-of-san-diego-is-helping-five-newsrooms-bring-memberships-into-the-revenue-mix/s2/a696216/

3. Greater Public (2020). Chief Revenue Officer job posting for inewsource. Retrieved from https://greaterpublic.org/jobs/chief-revenue-officer/

4. KPBS Press Release (2024). KPBS Receives $3 Million Gift from Joan and Irwin Jacobs for Democracy Project. Retrieved from https://www.kpbs.org/press-releases/2024/03/19/kpbs-receives-3-million-gift-from-joan-and-irwin-jacobs-for-democracy-project

5. inewsource Public Matters page. Retrieved from https://inewsource.org/public-matters/