• by Ray Schultz , August 12, 2025

News organizations in Illinois are being granted a total of $4 million in state tax credits for hiring journalists.  

The bulk of the funding is going to newsrooms outside the Chicago area, with 30% granted to nonprofits, according to Capitol News Illinois. 

Gannett and Alden Global Capital did not receive funding, although it is not clear if that is because they didn’t apply. 

Of the 61 organizations that have applied, 49 received it.

The data was obtained through a Freedom of Information request by the Medill Local News Initiative.

As reported in 2024, the state Senate was mulling a bill that would provide tax credits to independently owned outlets, not to subsidiaries of larger companies, but it is not clear if that provision has survived. The bill mandating the current funding was passed that year. 

However, New York State led the way with a provision that allocated $90 million for local journalism, but that bill has been held up in committee.