EAPM prepares for new name, new home

On Aug. 1, Equal Access Public Media becomes the Organization for Accessible Journalism.

As we prepare for the change, we are building a new website to match our new name at accessiblejournalism.org. Although the new website is under construction, it is live and available for people to review and critique. (Please excuse the construction dust.)

We believe that’s part of being a transparent organization. As we get closer to Aug. 1, the new website will continue to change — filling in images, correcting errors, ensuring links work, and more. For now, if you have feedback, do not hesitate to send it to us at info@equalaccesspublicmedia.org.

Another part of being a transparent organization is to tell you how we’re funding the new website. The new website is fully funded by Stacy Kess and her partner as a gift to the organization, including paying for a coder to build it out. Not a dime of the organization’s funds are being spent on the new website.

New name, same mission, same challenges

Like many nonprofits in the diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility (DEIA), and social justice space, EAPM has been struggling for funding from all areas.

In last May’s newsletter, we discussed the backlash to accessibility. In June’s newsletter, we told you about the challenges nonprofits including EAPM are facing with funding from grants, business donors and underwriters, and donors of all sizes.

Today, our friends at Assigned Media published an article about the legal challenges nonprofits doing this work are facing. 

We sent out an urgent plea for donations on social media in the first week of June. Several donors responded, and we were able to secure an immediate $150 plus a couple of recurring donations.

At the same time, we suspended our magazine, The Word, to save about $250 a month, and cut as many costs internally as we could. 

We are again making the urgent call for funding. EAPM has about $300 left to get us through the year, and that simply won’t cut it. The best way to help fund us is a $5 monthly donation. It may not sound like a lot, but it adds up when a lot of people pitch in.

As we like to say, if 100 people each gave $5 each month, that would result in $500 a month.

That’s why we’re asking each of you — if you are not already a recurring donor — to become a recurring donor today.

Then, we’re asking you to reach out to friends, coworkers, and family and ask them to become a monthly donor for $5 a month. It’s the price of a single ice latte. Will you give up one iced latte a month to help fund our work?

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EAPM finalizes new board

This year, many great people contacted us about joining our board.

Co-chiefs E. Simone Jenerson and Stacy Kess have been meeting with prospective new board directors and are finalizing recommendations to the board for both new directors and new alternate directors, who will join the board on Aug. 4 for three-year terms.

We will announce our new board directors in our August newsletter. Stay tuned.

Thanks for reading