Scripps Howard Fund and Scripps Howard Foundation gave $11 million in charitable gifts in 2025
Rhea-AI Summary
Scripps Howard Fund and Scripps Howard Foundation (NYSE:SSP) awarded $11 million in charitable gifts during 2025, a 12% increase from 2024. Grants supported community relief, childhood literacy, and journalism education including multi-year grants and new centers to strengthen local reporting.
Key allocations included community investments, a $1.7M literacy program, and $5.4M for journalism education across multiple institutions and initiatives.
Positive
- Total giving $11 million, a 12% increase versus 2024
- $5.4 million directed to advance journalism education
- $1.7 million invested in childhood literacy (280,000 books)
- $2.3 million invested in communities served by Scripps stations
- $1.9 million raised in annual literacy campaign for 2026 distribution
Negative
- None.
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
Several broadcasting peers were weak, with IHRT at -10.29% and UONEK at -5.88%, while UONE rose 8.41%. Combined with declines in CURI (-4%) and GTN (-2.49%), this points to broader sector pressure alongside SSP’s -7.01% move.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 18 | Leadership appointment | Positive | +5.0% | Named new VP to connect advertisers with Scripps’ sports and entertainment platforms. |
| Feb 11 | Transformation plan | Positive | -4.0% | Launched enterprise-wide plan targeting sizable EBITDA improvement by 2028 with AI and cost actions. |
| Feb 09 | Asset sale | Positive | +6.8% | Agreed to sell Court TV network to focus portfolio and support balance sheet strategy. |
| Jan 29 | Award recognition | Positive | +3.0% | Detroit station WXYZ won prestigious duPont-Columbia Award for impactful misconduct investigation. |
| Jan 29 | Educational initiative | Positive | +3.0% | Joined partners to present National News Literacy Week focused on AI-era media trust. |
SSP has generally reacted positively to corporate and strategic news, with four of the last five items seeing positive next-day moves; a single negative reaction followed a major transformation announcement.
In the last few months, SSP announced leadership changes, a major transformation plan, and the sale of Court TV. Corporate recognition and public-interest initiatives, such as the duPont-Columbia award for WXYZ and National News Literacy Week, also featured prominently. Most of these updates, including the Court TV divestiture and news literacy initiative, were followed by positive price reactions, while the transformation plan drew a rare negative move, highlighting occasionally mixed investor reception to strategic shifts.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement highlights substantial philanthropic activity, with over $11 million directed to communities, literacy, and journalism education in 2025, including major support for Title I schools and investigative reporting centers. In context of SSP’s recent transformation plans, asset sales, and industry awards, it underscores a continued emphasis on public-service media and talent development. Investors may watch how such initiatives intersect with future earnings, leverage management, and competitive positioning in broadcasting and digital news.
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
CINCINNATI, Feb. 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Scripps Howard Fund and Scripps Howard Foundation, nonprofit organizations, awarded
The Scripps Howard Fund and Scripps Howard Foundation support communities where The E.W. Scripps Company does business, while their journalism programs and funding reach people across the country. The Fund and Foundation also partner with the Scripps and Howard families to support causes important to them.
“In 2025, we saw communities across the country strengthened through the power of connection – whether it was giving children the gift of books, equipping aspiring journalists with the skills to tell important stories or rallying together in times of crisis,” said Meredith Delaney, president and CEO of the Scripps Howard Fund. “Our vision to uplift communities guided every grant and campaign, and our mission continues to drive this meaningful work.”
The Fund’s 2025 giving included:
- Scripps-owned local television stations and Scripps Networks held 41 fundraising campaigns in 2025 and received more than 6,700 donations.
- The Fund supported more than 91 charities within Scripps’ communities, providing help to those who need it most.
- In collaboration with the Scripps News Group, the Fund raised nearly
$270,000 t hrough disaster relief campaigns – including$127,000 for those impacted by the devastating floods in Central Texas.
- In 2025, the “If You Give a Child a Book …” program invested
$1.7 million to provide 280,000 books to students in the Fund’s 93 Title I partner schools. - Additionally, the Fund raised a record-breaking
$1.9 million for childhood literacy during its annual campaign, which will provide more than 300,000 books to 34,000 students throughout 2026.
- During the 72nd Scripps Howard Journalism Awards, the Fund awarded
$140,000 across 12 categories, recognizing news organizations and journalists who produced some of the most impactful journalism in 2024. For the first time, winners received a travel stipend/honorarium to visit universities and engage directly with journalism students. - Twenty-five paid interns gained real-world experience working in newsrooms across the country.
- The Fund provided grants to four community colleges to support journalism education programs and foster experiential learning with the goal of empowering students from a variety of backgrounds and equipping them with the necessary skills to thrive in the media industry.
The Foundation’s 2025 giving included:
- The Foundation invested
$2.7 million to continue its support for the Howard Centers for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland and Arizona State University. In collaboration with The Associated Press and Frontline, the Howard Centers’ investigation ‘Lethal Restraint’ received a 2025 Edward R. Murrow Award and was named a finalist for a 2025 Pulitzer Prize. In 2025, the Foundation awarded each of the Howard Centers with a three-year grant that will allow the schools to test and pilot several AI tools that support local news. - The Foundation funded more than
$410,000 in grants for Roy W. Howard fellows, helping them refine their journalism skills. - In 2025, the Foundation launched the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center at the University of Southern Mississippi. During its inaugural year, the Center trained 47 student journalists, produced 200+ local stories and partnered with more than 60 media outlets to strengthen news coverage across southeast Mississippi.
Media contact: Molly Miossi, The E.W. Scripps Company, 513-977-3713, molly.miossi@scripps.com
About the Scripps Howard Fund
The Scripps Howard Fund, a public charity established by The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP), is dedicated to creating informed and engaged communities through journalism education, childhood literacy and local causes. At the crossroads of the classroom and the newsroom, the Fund is a leader in supporting journalism through scholarships, internships, minority recruitment and development and First Amendment causes. The Scripps Howard Awards stand as one of the industry’s top honors for outstanding journalism. The Fund’s annual “If You Give a Child a Book …” childhood literacy campaign has distributed thousands of new books to children in need across the nation. The Fund partners with Scripps brands to create awareness of local issues and support organizations that build thriving communities. The Scripps Howard Fund administers funding for the Scripps Howard Foundation, a private foundation established in 1962 to advance charitable causes important to The E.W. Scripps Company and the Scripps and Howard families.
About the Scripps Howard Foundation
The Scripps Howard Foundation is a private foundation established in 1962 to advance charitable causes important to The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) and the Scripps and Howard families. The Foundation is dedicated to creating informed and engaged communities through journalism education.
FAQ
How much did Scripps Howard Fund and Foundation donate in 2025 (SSP)?
What portion of SSP's 2025 giving went to journalism education?
How did SSP support childhood literacy in 2025 and what were the results?
What disaster relief efforts did Scripps Howard (SSP) fund in 2025?
Did SSP create any new journalism programs or centers in 2025?
