• by Melynda Fuller , November 22, 2019

As nonprofit news organization Chalkbeat looks to expand its reach, it has partnered with Vox Media’s Chorus platform service. Chalkbeat is the first nonprofit to partner with the platform.

Chalkbeat’s move follows the release of a five-year plan called “Build the News Our Democracy Demands.” It explains how it will expand its local-first education reporting among underserved communities.

By joining Chorus, Chalkbeat will have access to its publishing tools, revenue solutions and audience-distribution services. The Chalkbeat partnership comes at a time when Chorus is boosting its support of local and nonprofit journalism.

“We want the Chalkbeat team to be able to focus on local reporting, while Chorus provides the tools and support needed  to reach new audiences and markets,” stated Trei Brundrett, COO of Vox Media.

Chorus will enable Chalkbeat to grow through several avenues, like maximizing revenue and delivering education reporting to local communities.

Chalkbeat currently serves Colorado, New York, Indiana, Tennessee, as well as Detroit, Chicago and Newark. The organization hopes to reach 18 regions by 2025.

A new site and digital Chalkbeat experience is set to launch in early 2020.

“In planning our expansion, we knew we needed a publishing system that worked at scale and solved the unique challenges of providing high-quality local journalism in multiple locations,” stated Elizabeth Green, CEO-cofounder of Chalkbeat. “Chorus was built with this same powerful single-subject, multi-city model in mind, and we believe the future of local news requires this networked model to thrive."

Vox Media began to license its Chorus platform in summer of 2018, currently serving brands like The Ringer, Funny or Die, Chicago Sun-Times and This Old House.