Virginia Local News Project announces partnership with Blue Engine Collaborative and the Google News Initiative Sustainability Accelerator

Richmond, Va. – The Virginia Local News Project (VLNP) announced today that it has been selected to work with the Google News Initiative (GNI) and Blue Engine Collaborative on the 2026 State News Sustainability Accelerator in Virginia.

Funded by GNI and led by Blue Engine Collaborative, the Accelerator offers Virginia local news organizations new ways to deepen relationships with audiences by growing and diversifying sources of revenue, improving digital products and user experiences, and improving processes and systems that will make participating news organizations more sustainable.

The Google News Initiative is a significant national funder of local news innovation, and Blue Engine Collaborative has run more than 150 sustainability programs for news organizations across the country. The selection of Virginia, alongside California, Florida, New York, and Oregon, demonstrates national recognition of VLNP’s work to support and sustain Virginia’s local newsrooms.

The deadline to apply for the accelerator is May 22 and the program will run from July 2026 through the first quarter of 2027. Full program details are available here.

“Virginians depend on their newsrooms for the reporting that keeps communities informed, engaged, and connected,” said Betsy Wells Edwards, Executive Director of the Virginia Local News Project. “To meet that responsibility in a fast-changing environment, the people doing that work need time, coaching, and resources, exactly what VLNP and the accelerator are here to provide.”

VLNP’s recent projects have included a statewide survey of Virginians views on local news, On the Pulse of Local News, the launch of across Virginia launch sustainable digital platforms and piloted a digital audit program with Virginia newsrooms, delivering individualized roadmaps tailored to each.

“Local news in Virginia is at a critical moment,” said Betsy Edwards, executive director of VLNP. “Communities that lose their local news outlets lose more than coverage – they lose the connective tissue that helps neighbors understand each other and hold their institutions accountable. VLNP’s goal is to make sure that does not happen here in the Commonwealth,” said Edwards.

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VLNP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to ensuring there is local news in every Virginia community. It holds the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest level of recognition for nonprofit accountability and impact measurement. Through its partnership with the Virginia Press Association, VLNP draws on more than 140 years of Virginia news expertise to help newsrooms across the commonwealth build durable digital-first models. Application details and more about VLNP’s work are available at www.virginialocalnewsproject.org.