With only little investment, hyperlocal news ventures are able to significantly increase their usefulness to their surrounding community. The finding is stated in a freshly released report of the ‘Neighbourhood News’ -project, financed by the Carnegie UK Trust. The project was launched in 2013 to give away 10 000 £ to five hyperlocal news projects.

Results of the project show hyperlocal news projects as being very adept at recruiting volunteer workforce, being able to tackle issues important to local democracy, increasing community involvement and being able to manage a large and heterogenous workforce. Perhaps most significantly, the report finds that even small grants can help hyperlocal news ventures to reach sustainability.

Two versions of the report are publicly available online: the full report, here (PDF), and a more concise, findings-oriented version, here (PDF).