Conecta Arizona, an innovative hyperlocal news service that Feet in 2 Worlds (Fi2W) helped to create, has just received two major grants that ensure its financial future. The Democracy Fund and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation recently announced multi-year grants that will allow Conecta Arizona to hire staff and expand its news coverage ahead of the 2024 election.
Responding to a wave of misinformation on social media at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Feet in 2 Worlds was instrumental in helping journalist Maritza Félix launch Conecta Arizona in the spring of 2020. Félix used WhatsApp to reach Spanish-speakers in Arizona and the neighboring Mexican state of Sonora to bust Covid myths and share verified information about the pandemic. Today, Conecta Arizona covers a wide range of topics and has its own weekly radio show, a podcast called Cruzando Líneas (Crossing Borders), as well as its own website.
With these new grants Conecta Arizona will be financially stable for the first time. “I am deeply grateful to Feet in 2 Worlds for supporting my vision,” Félix said. “Early support from Feet in 2 Worlds as well as the hundreds of hours they spent mentoring me and providing editorial guidance were essential in bringing Conecta Arizona to this point.”
“The success of Conecta Arizona is a great example of how Feet in 2 Worlds strengthens news media that serves immigrant audiences,” said Fi2W Executive Producer John Rudolph. Fi2W has also supported journalists who serve audiences in immigrant communities from Haiti, The Philippines, Nepal, Pakistan, Poland and a number of other countries.
Maritza Félix was a Fi2W editing fellow, and received ongoing financial support and mentoring from Feet in 2 Worlds from 2020 through 2023.
Feet in 2 Worlds is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Ford Foundation, the David and Katherine Moore Family Foundation, the Ralph E. Ogden Foundation, the Fernandez Pave the Way Foundation, an anonymous donor and readers like you.
