Factchequeado has received a US$1 million grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to strengthen the infrastructure that supports local Spanish-language media serving Latino communities across the United States. Over the next two years, the investment will expand the organization's technology, partnerships, and capacity to help trusted local newsrooms deliver accurate, timely, and community-centered information.

The funding will enable the organization to expand its capacity to produce and distribute verified information at both the national and local levels, develop community -centered technological solutions that respect their rights, train journalists, and strengthen a network of local media outlets, grassroot organizations, and content creators serving Latino communities in contexts where reliable, useful, and culturally relevant information remains insufficient.

Thanks to this core grant, Factchequeado will also add strategic roles to its team: a product and artificial intelligence lead, a partnerships and communications lead, and an administration and finance lead.

“This support from MacArthur represents an investment in the infrastructure that local Spanish-language media outlets need to better serve their communities,” said Laura Zommer, co-founder and CEO of Factchequeado. “It will allow us to add talent, develop better tools, and strengthen a collaborative network that, for the past four years, has made it possible for verified information to reach more people, in the formats and spaces where they already get information and engage in conversations.”

The funding comes at an especially challenging time for local Spanish-language journalism. Many media outlets operate with small teams, limited resources, and growing community demand for information, particularly on immigration, health, technology, and politics. At the same time, they must adapt to new consumption habits, changing platforms, and the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence.

Factchequeado works with local media outlets, content creators, journalists, and community organizations to reduce these gaps. Its partners have access to publication-ready verified content, training, tools, spaces for collaboration and exchange, and resources designed to respond more quickly and appropriately to their communities’ information needs.

“We receive this support with gratitude and a profound sense of responsibility,” Zommer added. “This is not only about sustaining what we already do, but also about building new capacities so that Spanish-language media outlets can innovate, collaborate, and respond more effectively to an increasingly complex information ecosystem.”

About Factchequeado
Factchequeado is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization—with 501(c)(3) status—that closes the information gap in Spanish, with a focus on the more than 68 million Latinos living in the United States. We expand access to verified and relevant content and strengthen the Spanish-language information ecosystem by fostering innovation, collaboration, and community-driven solutions.

We empower communities through high-quality journalism, innovative civic technology, educational tools, and skills that strengthen their ability to think critically and participate meaningfully in public debate and civic life.

About the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. MacArthur strives toward transformative change on some of the world's most pressing social issues, including the existential threats of climate change, criminal justice reform, revitalizing local news in the U.S., expanding who creates, uses, and benefits from artificial intelligence, strengthening the well-being of Native communities, and empowering young people in Nigeria.

In addition to our award programs MacArthur Fellows and 100&Change, the Foundation continues our historic commitments to the role of journalism in a responsible and responsive democracy and to the strength and vitality of our headquarters city, Chicago. We are also significantly increasing financial capital for the social sector and strengthening research and advocacy about the social impacts of technology.

For more information, contact:
Dulce Ramos
Head of Communications and Partnerships
[email protected]