Our top stories of 2025

The year 2025 presented threats against social justice and progressive politics. For example,   proposed bills to facilitate construction on Puerto Rico’s coastline, the Trump Administration persecution of immigrants, and funding withdrawals for community development projects. Even so, our communities organized to resist.

9 Millones’ focus on solutions journalism allowed us to provide examples of communities that made progress in equity, economic development, and self-governance. Our featured stories of the year serve as a resource for those who want to defend life in the archipelago. They also evidence the progress and challenges faced daily by those working on solutions.

How are Puerto Rican towns incentivizing small businesses?

9 Millones examined the eight municipalities with the most new SMEs and identified some good practices. For example, half have accessible public information on business programs, and six offer incentives to small businesses. The report written by yours truly highlighted replicable models to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem in a difficult context. The story, sponsored by the Solutions Journalism Network, was the first of the series "This is How We Stay," and is our most-read story of 2025.

Coastal Privatization: four measures that threaten access to Puerto Rico's beaches

Shortly after the government of Jenniffer González and the New Progressive Party took office  in Puerto Rico, the executive and legislative branches introduced four bills that facilitate coastal construction and disregard the climate crisis. Carlos Berrios Polanco explains these projects and their effect, drawing on documents and expert interviews. This work was nominated for the Overseas Press Club of Puerto Rico's Journalistic Excellence Award.

In August, we updated what was happening with these measures, in an exclusive conversation for 9 Millones’ members. This is part of the "Café y Comunidad" series. Additionally, Amigxs del M.A.R. told us how they are responding.

Bad Bunny won't solve colonialism

Our founder Camille Padilla Dalmau celebrates the album DtMF as a call to action in favor of decolonization and resistance. In her opinion, she argues that Bad Bunny's songs reflect “the Puerto Rico that treasures its culture, embraces its agency, and defends its land.” Although Bad Bunny won’t solve colonialism alone, he invites us to reflecton the daily actions that are necessary for liberation.

An Art Exhibition Featuring 200 Puerto Rican Women Challenges Gender Disparities

The cities of Chicago and San Juan witnessed the largest documented installation of Puerto Rican women artists. In the opinion of Brenda Torres Figueroa, manager of El Schomburg Gallery, in Humboldt Park, this exhibition “helps us reflect on our relationship with Puerto Rico here in the diaspora.” Frances Medina's article, co-published with Platea, also explores the history of Puerto Rican art with a gender perspective.

“Without seeds, there is no food”: Seed banks foster agriculture in Puerto Rico

When we talk about food sovereignty and security, it is impossible to ignore the contribution of seed banks. This was particularly important after Hurricane Maria, when farmers faced seed shortages. In this story, we collaborated with Luis Alexis Rodríguez Cruz, from La Fiambrera, to visit the Desde MI Huerto farm (Isabela), which produces 120 varieties of native seeds for the Caribbean climate. Don't forget to check out the video documented by filmmaker Nelson Vega Oliveras. This story was produced alongside Proximate, and is also part of the series "This is How We Stay"

Will the new health center in Vieques deliver long-awaited services in 2026?

Dressed in a safety vest and helmet, our journalist Lucía Alexeyev toured the new Vieques Health Center, scheduled to open in 2026. She also interviewed the Sub secretary of Medical and Hospital Services of the Department of Health, Yesarel Pesante Sánchez, to obtain answers to some of the questions and concerns held by the Vieques population. Alexeyev is a public health student, and this was the second of three stories she did about Vieques. Learn about her story here.

Vieques’ health investigator seeks funding after EPA’s cancellation: “This is just a rock on the road”

In July, 9 Millones broke the story that the Trump Administration had canceled the first environmental investigation into soil contamination in Vieques that included community participation. The project represented a step forward to "fill an information void," given the history of the island’s land and water use as a US naval base for over six decades. Lead researcher Lorena Estrada Martínez is inspired by the persistence of the people and is now seeking other avenues of funding, Lucía Alexeyev reports

Río Piedras Community Organizes to Help Immigrants Besieged by Trump Order

As soon as the raids by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement began, the communities in Río Piedras organized. Carlos Berrios Polanco’s reporting of how the community responded to this historic moment of political repression won him the National Journalism Award from the Association of Journalists of Puerto Rico (Asppro), in the Breaking News category.

Philanthropy in Puerto Rico grew after Hurricane Maria. What will happen now?

While donations often decrease after a disaster, Puerto Rico’s experience was different. A grant from The Chronicle of Philanthropy allowed 9 Millones and journalist Carlos Berrios Polanco to examine the state of the third sector, eight years after Hurricane Maria. We were also excited to include photographs by the prominent photojournalist Erika P. Rodríguez as part of our coverage.

How to support the immigrant community in Puerto Rico

In times of devastating news and institutional terrorism, this story by our intern Valeria Román Ortiz provides a sense of belonging and hope. She proposes practical ways to offer support: volunteering with organizations, making donations, and engaging in education and human rights activism. As part of the story, we also produced a community support guide, which you can download at the end of the article.

See out top 5 videos of 2025.

Other achievements this year

5th Anniversary Celebration

As we celebrate our fifth anniversary, we published our first impact report, which summarizes how we have integrated the community into our coverage and our achievements in recent years.  In addition, we organized in-person events to celebrate with our community in San Juan and New York City. In NYC, we launched “A Very Boricua Gathering,” a presentation and party to connect with Puerto Ricans in the United States. 

Coaching and grants

This year, we were also in good company. First, our friends at the Solutions Journalism Network selected us to participate in the first cohort of their revenue accelerator for solutions journalism. We were able to develop our sales collateral to sell sponsorships and launch creative funding strategies such as the sale of a poster.  In addition, The Chronicle of Philanthropy—a media outlet specializing in coverage of the nonprofit sector—selected us for a fellowship that allowed us to report on this sector in Puerto Rico, and also take workshops and receive mentoring.

Finally, our chief operating officer, Luis Alfaro Pérez, and our chief executive officer, Camille Padilla Dalmau, were selected to participate in the LION 360 Sustainability Program. They are currently receiving mentoring, which will support and strengthen the finances and operations of 9 Millones.

Launch of memberships

We are proud to have inaugurated a complete offering for 9 Millones members as part of our financial sustainability efforts. With this, we launched the educational workshops “9M Studio” where our members can learn about audiovisual production and other topics. In addition, we offer our Stewards and Advocates the possibility of joining conversations that we call “Café y Comunidad” where we bring organizers, experts, and journalists to the table to discuss the solutions happening in the archipelago.

Thank you for being part of our community of readers. This work would be impossible without your support. Want to support 9 Millones? Join our membership so we can publish more stories like these.