The Richmond Free Press has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Facebook Journalism Project to boost local journalism during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The newspaper was one of three Virginia news outlets and 144 local newsrooms across the United States to be awarded a collective $10.3 million as part of the FJP’s COVID-19 Local News Relief Fund Grant Program.

The fund is supporting many publishers who are hardest hit by the coronavirus crisis.

Nearly 80 percent of award recipients are family or independently owned news outlets and more than half are published by or for communities of color.

More than 2,000 applications were submitted, with awards announced May 7.

“As the publisher and keeper of the Richmond Free Press flame, I am grateful to Facebook for its recognition of the Free Press with a $100,000 grant to empower our mission-driven agenda,” Free Press Publisher Jean P. Boone stated.

“The Free Press was founded in 1992 by the late Raymond H. Boone. When he began that chapter of his professional life, I joined him in pursuing this dream, which many, at the time, thought was an impossible venture. I was then, and remain, ‘all in.’ ”

The grant will ensure that the Free Press reporting on the coronavirus is responsibly increased, Mrs. Boone said.

“We will continue to educate our readers about remedies for health disparities that disproportionately affect the Richmond community,” Mrs. Boone continued.

“The Richmond Free Press will improve its online presence as well as our print product, making sure that our distribution and production technology are on point. “We will be responsible stewards.”

In a statement, Facebook officials said the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the importance of local news to communities, especially during crisis situations.

“From sharing critical, time-sensitive information on the pandemic to asking tough questions to community leaders, local news organizations play a critical role in keeping communities informed and engaged,” according to the company.

Other Virginia awardees are the Henrico Citizen, $34,350, and Charlottesville Tomorrow, $35,000.

Grant recipients were selected through a process led by the Local Media Association and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, with significant contributions from the Institute for Nonprofit News, Local Independent Online News Publishers, Local Media Consortium and the National Association of Broadcasters.