La Conner Community News awarded grant from the SNPA Foundation

What sets us apart from other journalist agencies is our commitment to amplifying Indigenous voices, working closely with the Swinomish Tribe and Setting Sun Institute to elevate stories grounded in Indigenous wisdom. Nearly 40% of our community are tribal members, and we are dedicated to representing their perspectives and interests — voices often excluded from mainstream media.”

Kari Mar, publisher and executive director, La Conner Community News

The SNPA Foundation has awarded a $25,000 grant to La Conner Community News in support of the newspaper’s effort to fill a gap in local news coverage in rural La Conner, Washington.

“When our long-standing newspaper agency suddenly closed in 2024, nearly 4,000 residents, including the Swinomish Tribal Community, were left without a reliable news source,” said Kari Mar, the publisher and executive director. “Our community banded together and formed one of the first nonprofit newspaper agencies in our region, with the purpose of ensuring every voice is heard, covering local issues with integrity and inclusivity.

“What sets us apart from other journalist agencies is our commitment to amplifying Indigenous voices, working closely with the Swinomish Tribe and Setting Sun Institute to elevate stories grounded in Indigenous wisdom. Nearly 40% of our community are tribal members, and we are dedicated to representing their perspectives and interests — voices often excluded from mainstream media.”

The La Conner program model is expected to offer a replicable blueprint for rural and tribal communities nationwide that are experiencing similar news deserts.  If scaled, this model could strengthen the broader journalism industry by offering an alternative to for-profit media structures that overlook rural and marginalized communities.

About the SNPA Foundation:

The SNPA Foundation was established in 1968 to provide educational programs for newspaper members of the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association (SNPA). Since its inception, the SNPA Foundation’s seminars, webinars, literacy programs and Traveling Campus have reached more than 100,000 newspaper employees. 

Newspapers and newspaper corporations, newspaper industry suppliers, state press associations and numerous individuals have contributed millions of dollars to fund the Foundation’s programs.

SNPA and the Inland Press Association merged in 2019 to form a new association, America’s Newspapers. The SNPA Foundation, however, remains as a separate entity. Its ongoing mission is to enhance the prosperity and the future of newspapers and to promote the value of newspapers to the communities that they serve.

The SNPA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, governed by an elected board of trustees.