May 5-6 for all invited
May 7 for our portfolio (current + alumni grantees)

This May in New Orleans, we’ll gather the leaders of our portfolio with our supporters, partners in the local nonprofit news movement, and the American Journalism Project board and staff.

We will update this page with more information and helpful tips as AJPalooza gets closer!


What we’ll do

We’ll share a detailed agenda closer to the event in the coming weeks, but here’s a quick look to help with travel planning:

  • We will kick off on the afternoon of Monday, May 5, with an opening session, followed by cocktails and dinner.
  • We will conclude the main portion of AJPalooza on the evening of Tuesday, May 6, after a dinner celebrating the outstanding local work of AJP-supported Deep South Today. Organizations in AJP’s portfolio will participate in programming through the afternoon of Wednesday, May 7.
  • The majority of programming will take place at the Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter, where we have secured a discounted room block.

A note on travel planning: On May 7, 2025, U.S. travelers will be required to be REAL ID compliant to board domestic flights. Learn more about those requirements here.

Accommodations

We’ll stay at the Hotel Monteleone. Rooms may be reserved on an individual basis; use this link to receive AJP’s room block discount.

  • Note: If you are an AJP grantee, please see your invitation for instructions on reserving your accommodations or send us an email. More detailed information on grantee travel expense guidance can be found here.
Why New Orleans?

With AJPalooza, we have a tradition of visiting a different place each year where our portfolio members work: in 2021, we met virtually; in 2022, we visited Chicago; in 2023, we were in Cleveland; in 2024, we went to Minneapolis; and in 2025, we’ll explore New Orleans.

Deep South Today is a nonprofit network of local newsrooms that includes Mississippi Today and Verite News. Founded in 2016, Mississippi Today is now one of the largest newsrooms in the state, and in 2023 it won the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. Verite News launched in 2022 in New Orleans, where it covers inequities facing communities of color. We’re excited to introduce you all to them in person to learn more about their work and the state of local news in the Deep South.

What do I do if I still have questions?

Our team is here to help! If you have any questions as you prepare for AJPalooza, send us an email at ajpalooza@theajp.org.