The Desert Trumpet joins the nonprofit local journalism movement
Support independent ad-free reporting by subscribing or donating
The Desert Trumpet has exciting news! We're becoming a nonprofit to support independent reporting of local news and, thanks to $60,000 in funding, we can continue to report on Twentynine Palms City Hall. We want to thank our new fiscal receiver, AHA Projects, for helping us secure this crucial support. Although we are moving from an all-volunteer project to a publication with a (mostly) paid staff, The Desert Trumpet is committed to ensuring that access to our reporting remains free of charge and free of ads.
The Desert Trumpet was founded by a small group of volunteers in April 2022. We remain committed to increasing political engagement and encouraging a participatory political process. Our focus is on Twentynine Palms but our goal is to report on social justice, equity and environmental issues throughout the Morongo Basin, as well as provide a forum for residents to interact on these issues.
Per The American Journalism Project:
Local news connects us to our community and to our neighbors. It uplifts voices that would otherwise go unheard.
Local news demands accountability of community, business, and governmental bodies. It forces decision-making structures to operate within the public’s view.
Local news lends us agency, empowering us with the knowledge we need to make informed decisions about issues critical to our daily lives.
Providing an independent voice in the Morongo Basin news ecosystem is crucial to our mission. But if we are going to maintain the quality reporting expected by our readers, The Desert Trumpet needs to evolve into a nonprofit local journalism model, which includes paying staff and writers. Too much news is happening, and the struggle to survive is too great to continue reporting as volunteers.
We’ve always been flattered by our readers’ offers to fund our writing but until now, The Desert Trumpet has been unable to offer subscriptions or accept donations. With fiscal receiver sponsorship from AHA Projects, we can do both. Won’t you consider supporting The Desert Trumpet by becoming a paid subscriber or by donating? We still need to raise $10,000 of our 2024 budget in order to bring you the City Hall reporting you’ve come to rely on.
Subscribe via Subtack
Monthly $5
Yearly $50
Sustaining $100
Via Paypal / Donations over $100
Donations of $101 or more can be sent via the AHA Projects Paypal (our fiscal sponsor). Donations include a subscription.
Via check / Donations over $100
Donations of $101 or more can also be mailed via check to our fiscal sponsor. Specify that your donation is for The Desert Trumpet in the memo line of your check. Donations include a subscription.
AHA Projects
Cheyanne Sauter
2501 12th Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90018
Your subscriptions and donations support:
•Everything we currently do including Twentynine Palms City Hall reporting on all Council and Commission meetings as well as on issues crucial to our City
•Coverage of local elections
•Explainers on complex subjects such as sewer and wastewater
•Investigative reports planned for 2024, including research on the proposed solar farm
Your subscriptions and donations will help us build for the future:
•An intern program for training young local journalists
•Complete Twentynine Palms City Hall coverage including reporting on all Council, Commissions and Committee as well as issues crucial to our City
•Coverage of local elections, including Twentynine Palms City Council and Yucca Valley Town Council candidates and elections
•Coverage of the Morongo Basin including Yucca Valley City Hall and unincorporated areas such as Joshua Tree, Wonder Valley, Flamingo Heights and Landers
•Investigative reporting of Morongo Basin environmental, equity and social justice issues
•Industry standard pay for staff and writers
•Spanish translation of City Hall reporting
•A fund for legal enforcement of the Brown Act to advocate for transparency in local government
About AHA Projects
The Desert Trumpet is fiscally sponsored and supported by AHA Projects, a California nonprofit public benefit corporation located in Los Angeles, California, and qualified as exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”). AHA’s charitable purpose is to support artistic creators through innovative partnerships who are solving our communities’ greatest challenges. Through thoughtful risk, advocacy, and creative relationships AHA will fiercely elevate the presence and preservation of arts and culture in our communities.
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Is The Desert Trumpet an online paper? Is there a physical copy offered?
Congratulations!
Even though I am not a 29 Palms resident, I feel that it’s important to keep up with what’s going on in our communities, and as a local artist keeping up with PAAC. Even if you just stayed with 29 Palms city council activities, I’d keep reading, but being able to expand your coverage is exciting hear. Thank you, and keep up the good work!