This piece is part of our spring Documenters Showcase—a content series spotlighting the stories, impact, and growing network of people and organizations around the U.S. shaping participatory media and turning civic information into community power as part of City Bureau’s Documenters Network. Check out our most recent Showcase story, “Oklahoma and Oregon Join City Bureau’s Documenters Network.”
More than 4,500 Documenters have earned a collective $1 million for their civic participation, and we’re just getting started.
By Sonam Vashi, Director of Documenters
We’re thrilled to celebrate some big news in the Documenters Network that reflects the collective civic power we’re building together all around the country.
Since City Bureau launched Documenters in 2016, we and our local Documenters partners have officially paid out $1 MILLION to community members who are stepping up to make their local government more accessible, transparent, and accountable. This milestone represents more than a number. It’s evidence that despite dispiriting headlines about mistrust and social isolation, many people are eager to contribute positively to their communities.
Our team at City Bureau stewards and innovates the Documenters program model, training materials, support services, spaces for shared learning, and of course the Documenters.org platform itself—the infrastructure and resources necessary to administer the program in 20+ places. But our team wouldn’t have much to do if there weren’t thousands of curious people all around the country who want to learn civic skills and improve their communities—or talented, dedicated local news and community organizations that partner with us to implement Documenters locally.
With this milestone, we celebrate the collective impact of all the people who bring this work to life: individual Documenters, program managers, journalists, organizational partners, and supporters. This million-dollar achievement reflects the contributions of more than 4,500 Documenters in 25 cities across 16 states, who have completed more than 10,000 assignments and monitored more than 1,000 government agencies nationwide. In our flagship Chicago site, two Documenters—Ahmad Sayles and Bill Garcia—completed their 100th assignments in 2024, collectively spending over 500 hours covering local public meetings and creating resources for their neighbors on Chicago’s South and West sides. More than 1,000 Chicago Documenters have been trained to cover local government meetings since the program was founded.
Documenters attend a Police Board meeting in Chicago. (Photo: City Bureau)
Documenters by the Numbers:
$1 million dollars earned by Documenters for their civic participation
4,500+ Documenters trained with practical civic skills
25 places in 16 states strengthening local information
10,000 completed assignments to produce useful community information
While the numbers are incredible, what truly energizes us at City Bureau right now is the collective power we’re building together: a new pillar of civic life that’s activated by community members, for their communities. In a time when local news is declining nationally, it’s easy to focus on what’s missing. But the Documenters Network shows us what’s possible: Documenters serve as local translators of valuable information, taking complex conversations and issues and creating a useful resource for their neighbors. They stand their ground even when facilitators aren’t welcoming. They share real-time updates on social media that reach government officials and journalists. They listen carefully through heated discussions, surfacing the key points that matter most to residents. By combining civic skills with their firsthand knowledge of neighborhoods and local context, Documenters create the reliable and relevant information their communities need.
Individual Documenters have an impact that reverberates beyond their notes: Documenters are equipped with new skills to help them understand and shape local decision making and become more confident civic leaders.
Detroit and Grand Rapids Documenters visit the Michigan State House. (Photo: Nick Hagen)
Documenters by the Numbers:
80% say they have a greater understanding of how local government works
70% say the money they earned as a Documenter improved their quality of life
84% say they’re more equipped to share information they’ve learned with others
Our Documenters have a lot to say about what being part of this growing movement means to them. As one Documenter shared in our anonymous network survey, “The opportunity to learn more about our local communities while reporting and informing others is pretty spectacular.” Another reflected, “I really care about feeling connected to a community…and I think that the Documenters Network does a really good job of helping people feel connected and involved.”
In other words, it’s not just about covering meetings; it’s also about building practical skills, sparking community engagement, and supporting people to make a real difference at the local level. As one participant put it, “Documenters does a great job in…accommodating a large spectrum of civic engagement levels, from the person starting, to the person who's very civically engaged.”
Documenters attend an orientation session in Chicago. (Photo: City Bureau)
Across the network, every action taken–big or small–is part of a larger story: everyday people coming together to strengthen our democracy from the ground up. As we celebrate this million-dollar milestone, we’re filled with pride, gratitude, and excitement for what’s ahead.
It reminds us that civic action doesn't have to come solely from headlines or elected officials. It can, and does, start with someone like you simply showing up to a meeting, paying attention, and sharing what you learn with your neighbors. To everyone who’s been part of this journey with us so far, thank you. Here’s to the next million reasons to keep building a more connected, informed, and participatory democracy–together.
To learn more about City Bureau’s growing Documenters Network and how to get involved, check out Documenters.org.
