Santa Barbara Journalism Initiative Gets Major Grant

The Santa Barbara Foundation received a healthy chunk of cash this week in the form of a $500,000 matching grant from the Miami-based John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to help launch the Santa Barbara Journalism Initiative (SBJI), “a nonprofit enterprise journalism project for investigative and explanatory reporting on the South Coast,” said S.B. Foundation spokesperson Jessica Tade in a prepared statement. The SBJI plans on publishing in-depth stories on major issues on its website and will be based out of the Miller-McCune Center for Research, Media and Public Policy. “SBJI will encourage collaboration and partnership among existing media outlets in the community,” said Tade, noting 80 foundations across the country have spearheaded similar initiatives.