Some 250 emerging journalists will be funded in 164 host US news organisations serving local communities with the growth of the country's Report for America initiative.

The vision of veteran journalists Charles Sennott and Steven Waldman, Report for America relies of philanthropic donations. The Knight Foundation now heads the list with US$5 million - support which has enabled this growth - while Facebook's US$2 million and Google's US$400,000 are also in there.

The 2020 programme across 46 states in 2020 reflects the growth of philanthopy-based journalist, and is more than four times the size of this year's class. Sponsored journalists have been reporting in 50 organisations across 28 states and Puerto Rico.

Winning newsrooms were announced today - full list here - and will select the corps members in a separate application process.

RFA places talented emerging journalists for one to two years on under-covered issues and communities, and is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project.

Winners include 69 daily newspapers, 39 digital-only sites, 39 public radio stations, 12 local TV stations, and 5 non-daily papers, with nonprofit newsrooms accounting for 47 per cent of the total.

More than 30 beats involve covering state legislatures, about half as a result of a partnership with Associated Press, while others address 'news deserts' such as overlooked rural areas and urban communities, and broader issues.