Ottawa News Network launches campaign to expand coverage

OTTAWA COUNTY — The Ottawa News Network, an independent, nonprofit news outlet, is embarking on a critical fundraising effort to substantially expand its coverage of Ottawa County in its second year of operation. 

The outlet, which provides its reporting free to all residents, is launching a drive to secure both new donors and essential operating funds, underscoring its commitment to accessible, non-paywalled journalism.

The mission 

ONN believes that accurate, local information is a “public good” and operates without a cost to subscribe or a digital paywall, a model that relies on the direct support of its audience. The current campaign seeks to solidify the foundation built in a year of unexpected growth and to execute ambitious plans for deeper community engagement.

Janet DeYoung, a member of the ONN Board of Directors and fundraising chair, said the organization hopes to raise $75,000 and gain 100 new donors. 

“We believe accurate information is a public good and that all residents should have access to trusted local news. We rely on grants, sponsorships and donations from our readers and those who share that value,” DeYoung said. 

“Thanks to our friends and supporters we have seen tremendous growth and successes this first year. However, our plans for year two are to systematically engage with Ottawa County residents and increase our capacity to cover the local events of interest to them.”

Fundraising background 

The fundraising effort is part of the national NewsMatch campaign, a collective initiative designed to support independent, public service journalism across the country. 

This fundraising model, which centers on grants, sponsorships and individual reader donations, is increasingly vital for nonprofit newsrooms across the United States. 

It allows outlets like ONN to prioritize community needs and investigative work without the commercial pressures often associated with traditional, for-profit media.

The push to increase capacity comes at a moment when the importance of trusted, local reporting is a frequent topic of national conversation, DeYoung said. 

By eliminating the financial barrier of a paywall, ONN aims to ensure that all residents — regardless of income — have access to the news that affects their lives and informs their civic choices.

Donors to the campaign will be directly contributing to the expansion of on-the-ground reporting, ensuring a more comprehensive look at the county's government, schools and cultural life. The success of the NewsMatch campaign will directly determine the scope and scale of this planned expansion.

How to donate

Through NewsMatch, until Dec. 31, donors can boost the impact of a donation to ONN. Each gift will be doubled to help fund and grow our newsroom in 2026.

Here’s how it works:

The first $1,000 of a gift of any amount before Dec. 31 will be matched by funds from the Institute for Nonprofit News and local Ottawa County supporters.

So, your gift of $50, for example, becomes $100 of support for ONN; your gift of $100 turns into $200 to fund local news coverage. If you prefer recurring monthly donations, any new donors’ first 12 monthly gifts will be doubled. 

Donors that increase their monthly gift during the campaign period will have the value of the increase matched for its full-year value up to $1,000. 

Click here to get started. 

— Heather VanDyke covers northern Ottawa County for the Ottawa News Network. Contact her at hvandyke@ottawanewsnetwork.org.