Bloc By Block News is currently accepting applications for sponsored content!
This is an opportunity for individuals, foundations, nonprofits, and other groups* to have our journalists report on and raise awareness about a local or national issue, cause, event, or person.
Sponsor benefits:
- Reach a new audience of Maryland residents who are actively engaged in your issue or cause.
- Get eyes on your post through multiple platforms including our website, newsletter, and social media platforms.
- Spotlight your group with a 2-3 sentence description at the end of each post.
- Receive recognition as a supporter of reliable, trustworthy journalism in your community.
Content topics:
We have received funding to support reporting focused on youth in Baltimore, and we’re especially interested in continuing this coverage. We also have experience and are open to covering topics including, but not limited to:
- Politics
- Housing
- Business
- Technology
- Food
- The economy
- Homelessness/poverty
- Jobs
- Education
How we decide what sponsored content to publish:
In order to be considered for this opportunity, pitches for sponsored content should:
- Impact residents in our current target market: Baltimore, Md. and surrounding areas.
- Align with our mission to inform, engage, and equip our readers with information necessary to make thoughtful decisions about what’s happening in their communities.
- Highlight a topic that is not already reported heavily in the media, or be able to add more detail and context to existing coverage.
Types of sponsored articles:
- Feature stories
- Solutions journalism
- As-Told-To’s
- Explainers
- Profiles
- Q&A’s
- Listicles
At this time, sponsors can request one article or a series of three articles.
Ethics and transparency:
We are committed to truthful and accurate news production, which means our reporters strive to gather information, facts, and opinions from all sides of an issue.
While sponsors fund coverage of a topic and are able to provide context from their perspective, they do not influence our reporting. Sponsors do not view drafts of full articles or final pieces before we publish. And it is not mandatory for reporters to include background information, quotes, or comments from the sponsor in the article.
Our previous work:
In 2022, we received a grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation to produce youth-related content in Baltimore City. You can view some of that coverage, which includes aggregated content, here. You can review our original content supported by this funding below:
- Breaking the Stigma: How I Started a Woman’s Health Business at 18
- From Classrooms To Boardrooms: Guiding Baltimore’s Youth Into Entrepreneurship
- “We use our phones to keep informed”: How Journalism Reaches Gen-Z
- Maryland’s Youngest Candidate On The Ballot Advocates For Better Education, More Youth Activism
Learn more about our editorial team here. For more information, contact us at [email protected] with the email subject “Sponsored content.”
Other opportunities:
In addition to sponsored content, we also accept funding from advertisers, philanthropic groups, corporations, grantors, and individual donors. You can donate here or email us to find out how you can support or work with us.
*Currently, we do not accept sponsored content from politicians or political campaigns.
