With print advertising continuing to collapse, many local news organizations have seen their newsrooms emptied. As more readers have moved online, many newspapers have cut back on how often they are published. Just two weeks ago, the owner of The Daily News, a stalwart New York tabloid, laid off half of the newsroom.

Between 2003 and 2014, there was a 35 percent decline in the number of reporters who cover statehouses, according to a Pew Research Center study — and that trend has only continued.

For its initiative, ProPublica said it would choose seven local news organizations and that the work would begin early next year. Editors for the organizations can contact ProPublica and explain the investigative project they intend to pursue, along with the name of a reporter who would lead the project. ProPublica said it would cover the salary of the reporter and provide an “allowance” for benefits for one year.

The project is bankrolled for the next two years, and Mr. Tofel said it is likely a new set of projects and news organizations will be selected for 2020. National news organizations like The New York Times are not eligible to benefit from the grant.

This is an expansion of a similar project that ProPublica started last year to help aid local reporting.