FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec 13th 2025 
Contact: Armando Carmona, 

armando@iejournalism.fund

Riverside, Calif. —  The Inland Empire Journalism Hub+Fund is proud to announce a renewed investment from the Google News Initiative (GNI). This financial support underscores GNI’s ongoing commitment to strengthening local journalism ecosystems and supporting innovation across diverse, community-rooted media in California’s Inland Empire.

The investment will advance the Hub’s efforts to explore artificial intelligence and digital technologies, develop new revenue models for local news, and expand the Hub’s capacity to sustain an inclusive, equitable media infrastructure.

“Our goal at the Google News Initiative is to help publishers adapt to technological shifts and build new revenue models. The Inland Empire Journalism Hub is a fantastic model for this, proving that collaboration can sustain trusted, community-based local news” – Chrissy Towle, Director News Partnerships

Officially launched in 2023 and housed at the Inland Empire Community Foundation, the Journalism Hub+Fund serves as a regional backbone for community-driven media, helping local outlets transition toward sustainable digital operations while fostering collaboration, training, and shared services.

“We are honored to receive this continued support from the Google News Initiative,” said Dr. Paulette Brown-Hinds, Founder of the Inland Empire Journalism Hub+Fund. “This partnership reflects a shared commitment to innovation, sustainability, and the power of local storytelling. With Google’s support, we are building the infrastructure and capacity needed to ensure local journalism continues to serve as a public good in our communities.”

The Hub+Fund will use this investment to strengthen its digital infrastructure, data and AI experimentation, and revenue development strategy, building on its mission to empower locally owned media outlets across Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

For more information, visit www.iejournalism.fund.

About the Inland Empire Journalism Innovation Hub+Fund

The Inland Empire Journalism Hub+Fund, a signature fund of the Inland Empire Community Foundation and fiscally sponsored project, is dedicated to revitalizing local journalism across Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Through regranting, training, and collaborative innovation, the Hub+Fund strengthens community-rooted, equity-driven reporting that reflects and serves the Inland Empire’s diverse communities.

One in Ten: The State of AANHPIs in the Inland Empire report. 

Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders Fund
(AANHPI Fund)