The Center for Michigan, Bridge’s publisher, highlights growth in annual report

April 3, 2026

The Center for Michigan has published its 2025 annual report showcasing the performance and growth of its nonprofit news outlets, Bridge Michigan and BridgeDetroit. The organization successfully raised over $1 million from approximately 9,000 individual donors, continuing a multi-year upward trend in fundraising. Both newsrooms expanded their community engagement through hosting numerous in-person events that attracted thousands of attendees and distributing thousands of voter guides to the public.

Who is affected

The Center for Michigan (nonprofit publisher)
Bridge Michigan newsroom and staff
BridgeDetroit newsroom and staff
More than 9,000 individual donors
Over 4,000 people who attended Bridge Michigan engagement events
More than 1,200 attendees at BridgeDetroit gatherings
Recipients of approximately 5,000 voter guides
Michigan residents who consume their journalism

What action is being taken

The Center for Michigan is building infrastructure to distribute journalism across Michigan at scale
Both Bridge Michigan and BridgeDetroit are increasing investment in platform-specific storytelling, including short-form video, graphics and audience-focused explainers
The organization is expanding reach on social media as part of its growth strategy

Why it matters

This work matters because it addresses a critical challenge in contemporary journalism: ensuring quality reporting reaches audiences in a fragmented and declining media environment. According to the CEO, a healthy democracy depends on people having access to reliable, nonpartisan information, and this infrastructure-building effort aims to deliver that across Michigan at scale. The organization's transparency efforts and continued donor support demonstrate a viable model for sustaining nonprofit journalism.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: bridgedetroit.com