T-Squared: Knight Foundation will match your gifts to the Trib

Back in the fall of 2009, before there was a Texas Tribune, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation paved the way for serious, public-spirited nonprofit journalism to survive and thrive in those undeniably interesting times. Once there was a Trib, or at least the idea for what became the Trib, the foundation, in typical fashion, generously stepped up: with an initial gift of $250,000 to fund our startup phase and, eventually, over the years, a total of another $2 million or so to support our operations.

They have been, no joke, our Knight in shining armor. And not just ours: Without the Knight Foundation, so many of the innovative and entrepreneurial advances in our profession would not have been possible — would never have happened.

Today, the times are even more interesting, and the Knight Foundation is again stepping up (or mounting its steed, or whatever). The Miami-based philanthropy has just announced a new $1.5 million match initiative that will benefit a select group of news organizations — including The Texas Tribune. Knight will match up to $25,000 in small-dollar gifts ($1,000 or below) pledged to the Trib between now and Jan. 19. That means your modest contribution of any size will be immediately doubled.

Those dollars — yours and Knight's — will help pay for the hard and important work produced by the Trib's newsroom each day: beat and investigative reporting, data visualizations, editorial events and the like. We're honored by the faith you show in us at any time of the year, but we'll be doubly honored — literally — if you give now.

So give now. Click here. Thanks! And the happiest of holidays to all of you from all of us at the Trib.