The Chronicle of Philanthropy
To cut through online noise and potentially false information surrounding the U.S. elections and ensure that voters go to the polls armed with verified facts, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation lst week announced it will put nearly $7 million toward fighting misinformation in states crucial to determining the results in November.

Funding for The Associated Press, in the amount of $1.5 million, will provide training to small newsrooms on how to report election-related polling and how to identify and explain to readers instances of misinformation spreading online. Another $2.75 million will be dedicated to the Knight Election Hub, which provides resources like polling and data, as well as training for newsrooms. Knight will split the remainder of the commitment among nonprofits that support journalism and will direct grants to one news outlet in each of the election swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

The Knight Foundation grants are part of an escalating effort on the part of progressive foundations to fund both newsrooms and social media researchers in thwarting what are perceived as election-related falsities. This “pro-democracy” grant-making effort started during the 2016 presidential election cycle, when there was evidence of election interference from Russia. It reached an apex in 2019-20, when President Donald Trump was accused of blocking the peaceful transition of power. While many praise pro-democracy philanthropy, the obstacles are numerous, including the accusation from conservatives that the grant-making effort is inherently partisan.

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