# The Lenfest Institute grows landmark program with expanded OpenAI support

Digest AI · Enterprise & Industry · published 2026-09-23T16:00:00Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/the-lenfest-institute-grows-landmark-program-with-expanded-openai-supp

## Summary

The Lenfest Institute for Journalism and OpenAI announced on September 28, 2026, a $5 million commitment to expand the Lenfest AI Collaborative and Fellowship Program. This builds on the program’s success since its 2024 launch, which placed AI engineering fellows in 11 major U.S. news organizations. OpenAI is also providing up to $5 million in software credits and engineering support, doubling its previous investment.

The program embeds AI technologists within newsrooms to develop practical tools and policies for responsible AI adoption. Fellows have worked on projects like Dewey—a search tool for archived reporting at *The Philadelphia Inquirer*—and Scrape, which automates lead monitoring. At *Chicago Public Media*, AI-assisted translation cut Spanish-language coverage time from hours to minutes. Lessons from the pilot emphasize trust, problem-driven development, and cross-organizational collaboration. The next phase will scale these efforts by sharing tools, frameworks, and technical resources to benefit hundreds of news organizations.

## Key points

- OpenAI pledges $5M in funding and up to $5M in software credits to the Lenfest program
- Fellows developed tools like Dewey (archival search) and Scrape (lead monitoring) for 11 newsrooms
- Program now aims to share tools and frameworks across hundreds of news organizations

## Why it matters

The program demonstrates how embedded AI engineers can drive responsible adoption in journalism, reducing risks while scaling practical tools for local news sustainability.

## Sources

1. [The Lenfest Institute grows landmark program with expanded OpenAI support](https://openai.com/index/lenfest-ai-collaborative-expansion) (OpenAI, 2026-09-23, primary source)

## Cite

Digest AI, "The Lenfest Institute grows landmark program with expanded OpenAI support", 23 September 2026, https://digestai.news/story/the-lenfest-institute-grows-landmark-program-with-expanded-openai-supp

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