It's becoming increasingly difficult for for-profit media outlets to make ends meet, so it's highly encouraging that Streetsblog Chicago readers came out of the woodwork last month to help us raise a little over $50K to win a $50K challenge grant from from The Chicago Community Trust charitable foundation, once again proving that there's a future for community-supported journalism. That $100,000 will keep us operating at full strength through 2020, allowing us to keep fighting the good fight for a safer, more equitable, more efficient, and more enjoyable Chicagoland transportation system.
This was the second year in the row that The Trust has offered us $50K, as opposed to earlier $25K challenge grants, allowing us to retain an additional half-time reporter to increase our coverage of mobility justice issues. Lynda Lopez previously held that position and did an excellent job before moving on to a full-time transit advocacy project elsewhere, but thankfully she's continuing to freelance for us as time permits. Courtney Cobbs is currently our half-time reporter, and she has brought to the job a contagious enthusiasm for fighting climate change by promoting sustainable transportation.
Obviously, we’re very grateful to The Trust for their steadfast support. I'm especially endepted to Michael Davidson, Senior Director - Community Impact with The Trust, for going to bat for SBC for many consecutive years.
As always, we're incredibly appreciative of the Streetsblog superfan who donated $10,000 to our fundraising effort, for the seventh year in a row.
We had hundreds of other individual donors this year, almost certainly more than any other past year. There's to many of you to acknowledge you all by name, but we're especially thankful to the many dozens of people who gave $100 or more. Everyone should be sure to drop by our victory celebration on Wednesday, January 22, 6-8 p.m. at Revolution Brewing's Kedzie Avenue taproom, 3340 N. Kedzie, where $100+ donors will get a free copy of my cross-country cycling travelogue, plus a complimentary pint generously donated by RevBrew.
We received a generous $2,500 grant from the TransitCenter foundation, as well as $500 gift from SRAM Corporation. We greatly appreciate their support.
I’d like to express my thanks to our returning and new advertising sponsors: FK Law, Keating Law Offices, Boulevard Bikes, the Bike Lane, the Shofur family of charter bus services, Uptown Bikes, the Active Transportation Alliance, Ride Illinois, On the Route Bicycles, HomeLight, Earth Rider Cycles, Blue City Cycles, Roscoe Village Bikes, UIC's CUPPA program, and the Shared-Use Mobility Center.
I’d also like to show some appreciation to our colleagues at the Streetsblog network for helping to promote our fund drive. Thanks also to The Chainlink (they were particularly awesome and hilarious on Twitter), the Metropolitan Planning Council, Bike Lane Uprising, the Ride of Silence, and other like-minded sustainable transportation organizations for getting the word out.
Finally, in addition to Lynda and Courtney, I’d like to thank Streetsblog Chicago cofounder Steven Vance and core contributing writers Igor Studenkov, James Porter, David Zegeye, and Amber Drea for their talent and camaraderie.
Apologies to anyone I've overlooked, but I'm truly humbled by how many individuals stepped up once again to support our work. I'm looking forward to another exciting year of sustainable transportation battles and victories in the New Roaring Twenties.
— John Greenfield, editor
