ANNOUNCEMENT: Free Spirit Media receives a two-year $300k Grant from the McCormick Foundation

By FSM Communications

Robert R. McCormick Foundation generously extended a two-year grant to Free Spirit Media to continue our work supporting youth artists to tell authentic stories about Chicago, an especially urgent need in our current climate of increased distrust in the media. According to the 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer, for the first time, media is the least trusted institution globally. And the numbers are not much better in Chicago. According to the Center for Media Engagement, 68% of Chicago West Siders and 54% of South Siders think news stories about their neighborhoods are too negative, Chelsea Berry of Real Chi Youth reports.

Youth media makers from Free Spirit Media are using their voices to tell the stories that are underrepresented in the mainstream media. With the support of The McCormick Foundation, we will be able to continue supporting these budding storytellers and build our newly revamped mission of transforming media and society by providing opportunities for emerging creators, primarily from communities of color, to produce and distribute original content and to pursue artistic, personal and professional aspirations. 

Thanks to McCormick Foundation for their continued support!