🎉 A Landmark Year to Be Supporting Local Journalism

By Valeria Fernandez

●

Altavoz Lab News

●

April 3, 2026

I can’t believe it’s been a year since I transitioned from a mostly volunteer role to now being the full-time executive director of Altavoz Lab. I’m beyond grateful to the people who believed in our vision to support community-rooted journalism.

Thank you to the MacArthur Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation, El Paso Community Foundation, the David and Reva Logan Foundation and all the people at these foundations who make the magic happen, because they really want to make a difference.

It can be a lonely journey to be a Latina solopreneur, yet I’ve been fueled by the passion of the small but mighty Altavoz Lab team. I’ve been inspired by the relentless journalism and dialogue that’s happening in communities across the country, even though at times, like many of you, I feel deeply uncertain about the present.

We received close to 80 applications for our 2026 Altavoz Lab community fellowships from all corners of the country and Puerto Rico. Among them are freelancers, community-rooted journalists, people recently laid-off, emerging and veteran reporters who presented beautiful visions with a sense of service, care and empathy for their communities. By applying, all of them will have access to our training; by sharing their ideas and approaches with us, they are inspiring what we can build and how we can iterate for them.

As someone who has applied to many grants and opportunities over the course of my career, I know rejection is the worst. Whenever possible, Altavoz Lab will offer feedback to those who want it, sending other resources their way and more. Remember that not being selected does not mean that your work is not valuable — it means that you are growing. You are valuable and we appreciate you. Your work is vital.

—Valeria Fernández, Executive director and founder of Altavoz Lab

A version of this was published on our monthly newsletter, if you would like to receive our news subscribe to En Voz Alta on the sidebar.

Author

Valeria Fernandez

Founder and Executive Director – Altavoz Lab

Valeria Fernández is an immigrant from Uruguay and the founder and executive director of Altavoz Lab, which she founded in 2022. She is also a journalist, filmmaker, and producer. She started her career at a small Spanish-language newspaper in Phoenix, Arizona, and quickly learned how to write for immigrant communities — rather than just about them. She transitioned to writing for English-language media, including The Guardian, Pacific Standard, Latino USA, and PRX’s The World. Valeria won the American Mosaic Journalism Prize for her reporting on marginalized communities.

As a former professor at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Valeria helped develop the next generation of Latino and immigrant journalists. During her time as managing editor of palabra, a publication created by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, she advocated for fair pay and protections for freelance journalists serving disinvested communities. She led several award-winning projects and helped shape the careers of hundreds of independent journalists.

Now, as executive director of Altavoz Lab, she continues to advocate for local reporters — whom she sees as trusted messengers and vital to democracy.

Read more stories by our fellows

Coloring Roots: Cicero Residents Share Their Vision for Future Green Spaces

By Leslie Hurtado

Phil Fuentes Ability Park was constructed to provide accessible green space for all abilities in Cicero, funded through state and federal grants. However, arsenic and lead contamination that was not remediated remain. Read to hear about residents’ visions for greener, healthier community spaces in Cicero.

Esclavos con visa: el fraude detrás del programa H-2A en los campos de Georgia

By Monica Pirela

Mientras las granjas generaron más de $18 mil millones al PIB de Georgia en 2024, cientos de trabajadores son estafados, amenazados y despedidos bajo el amparo de nuevas políticas federales.

Terrenos Houston: El sueño americano embargado

By José Luis Castillo

An investigation into Colony Ridge reveals how a promise of affordable housing for immigrant families led to predatory lending, displacement, and a political firestorm that ignored the data.

South & West Siders Want More Indoor Sports Facilities for Youth

By Jewél Jackson

In survey responses, youth and parents told the Weekly the South Side needs more indoor facilities for sports and recreation—and better maintenance of existing ones.

Discriminated and Invisible

By Valeria María Torres-Nieves

Pregnant students or with children deal with a lack of university support and discrimination in the oldest and largest public university in Puerto Rico. (Originally published by Todas, the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo and palabra)

Illinois Students Struggle to Find Halal Food

By Tasmiha Khan

Despite a growing Muslim population in the Chicago area, few public schools offer students halal food options. (Originally published by Borderless Magazine)