In January 2016, H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest created the nonprofit that now owns the Philadelphia newspapers, funding it with a $20 million donation. Since then, The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, as it is now known, has raised an additional $26.5 million from an array of foundations and individuals, based both nationally and in Philadelphia, the Institute announced on Wednesday.

Lenfest is also pledging up to another $40 million in matching funds, and the Institute has plans in place to launch a series of grants as well as a fellowship program to support the advancement of local and metro news.

“There’s a growing sense that the battleground has turned to local media,” Lenfest Institute CEO Jim Friedlich told me. “National media — like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal — have a visible path to digital transition, but The Philadelphia Inquirers, The Miami Heralds, and Detroit Free Presses of the world have a long way to go.”

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