Our History and Mission

It all started when…

Piedmont Journalism Foundation was founded in 2018 as a Virginia non-profit organization, with the mission of informing and engaging residents of Fauquier County and neighboring areas by providing nonpartisan, in-depth news coverage of important local issues through local news outlets.

By the end of 2019, it became clear that a chance for nonprofit ownership, supported philanthropically by the wider community, was the best course to preserve and sustain the Fauquier Times and Prince Williams Times newspapers. Accordingly, PJF became the nonprofit owner of the two newspapers, and its working relationship with the papers became significantly tighter.

By contracting with seasoned reporters to research and write explanatory series on current topics within Fauquier and Prince William counties, the papers have published in-depth series on broadband accessibility, the opioid crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Amazon data center, land use, conservation, the environment, and cultural life.

Today, PJF uses its funds to enable the Fauquier Times and Prince William Times to thrive in times of uncertainty, improve journalism and operations, and supplement news coverage for core news reporters.