Dear readers,

I wanted to personally take the time to thank those that pledged money, shared the Beacon Reader project page, and attempted to move the needle to reach our funding goal of $10,000.

While we didn’t reach the goal needed to fund those reporting efforts in East Ukraine, this is just the beginning.

In 2016, I will be working diligently to foster our community, grow, and in that same respect, reach out to formal institutions that offer journalism grant support, in particular, with a focus on international reporting.

Best wishes for a successful 2016!

Sincerely,

Brandon Neilan

b.neilan@hotmail.com