INN has welcomed 33 news organizations to the INN Network since late 2024, including its first Mexican member. INN serves organizations across North America, currently including the US, Canada, the Caribbean and now Mexico.
Several of the new members emerged from existing publications that shuttered, like the worker-led The 51st following WAMU’s closure of DCist and the new Oxford Free Press after the closing of Cox Media’s Oxford Press. Others are already established nonprofit organizations, like NPR affiliates Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting, which operates 90.5 WESA, and Northern Community Radio in Minnesota, which launched its news department in 2023.
In 2024, INN accepted about three-fourths of the applications it received for membership, up from less than half of the applications it received in 2023. This increase in acceptance rate was driven by proactive steps INN took to reduce the number of applications it receives from organizations unlikely to be accepted into membership by the organization’s board of directors.
INN reviews membership applications and accepts new members throughout the year. Organizations applying to join INN are vetted by INN staff to ensure they meet standards for ethics, transparency, independence and quality of journalism and are then approved for membership by leading journalists on the INN Board of Directors and Standards Task Force.
As INN members, the news outlets have access to INN programs that will help them develop revenue and business models to support strong reporting, collaborate on editorial and business innovation, share services and advance the diverse leaders forging a new future for news. That support pays off. Ninety percent of INN members are still in business after five years.
“We continue to see many organizations that are serving local communities join INN. In fact, for the first time in its history, the majority of INN members are now local organizations,” said Jonathan Kealing, INN’s chief network officer. “While the growth in the field is slowing, we’re glad to see more communities being served by nonprofit news organizations and are eager to help them grow and thrive in the INN Network.”
Full members
News organizations that are full members of INN regularly publish original investigative or public service journalism. They have 501(c)3 status or fiscal sponsorship from a 501(c)3 organization and editorial independence from that fiscal sponsor. The newest full members of the INN Network are:
Compiler Media, founded in Washington D.C. in 2023 by longtime journalist Mike Farrell, is a 501c3 nonprofit newsroom that is “dedicated to conducting, supporting, and sponsoring high quality journalism, research, and other educational activities, events, and offerings in order to educate and inform the public about the impact of technology on society.”
Lubbock Stories Inc., which publishes Lubbock Lights, was founded in 2023. Lubbock Lights is a newsroom based in Lubbock, Texas.
Northern Community Radio, founded in 1976, is a NPR affiliate that operates community radio station KAXE out of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. They launched their news department in 2023.
Ojalá, founded in 2023 by investigative journalist Dawn Marie Paley, covers Puebla, Mexico, the capital city of the state Puebla. Ojalá is INN’s first Mexican member.
Oxford Free Press, founded in 2024, is a nonprofit digital and print newspaper based in Oxford, Ohio, the home of Miami University. Retired professors and administrators founded this site after the closure of Cox Media’s Oxford.
Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting, 90.5 WESA, is an NPR affiliate public radio station in Pittsburgh established in 2011. Its mission is “to create and distribute trusted content, build connections and strengthen our community through public media.”
The Amarillo Tribune, founded in 2023 by a group of local Amarillo, Texas-citizens, including former journalists.
The Philadelphia Citizen, founded in 2015, is a digital newsroom that “has a dual mission: to provide deeply reported journalism that emphasizes solutions that can move our region forward, and to actively reignite citizenship in and around Philadelphia.”
The Worcester Guardian, founded in 2023 in Worcester, Massachusetts, covers topics such as municipal and county government, education and community development.
Zivvy News, a digital news outlet founded in 2023 in Washington, D.C. with a mission to “inform, engage, and empower the next generation of leaders through credible, accessible news that speaks to Gen Z.”
Carver County Local News, which launched in August 2024, is based outside of Minneapolis and is “committed to providing trustworthy, timely, local nonpartisan news and information on governmental activity, schools, businesses, sports, community events, for the communities of East Carver County.”
Oakland Voices, a community journalism project that was founded in 2010 as part of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education. Oakland Voices trains Oakland residents to tell the stories of their neighborhood, led by experienced journalist Rasheed Shabazz.
Project Optimist, a nonprofit newsroom based just outside Minneapolis, was founded in 2021 to “engage residents of greater Minnesota to help them collaborate across common divides, tackle seemingly intractable problems and grow more optimistic about the future of their communities, region and world.” They are fiscally sponsored by the Tiny News Collective.
Red Canary Magazine, based in Minneapolis, was founded in 2019 with a mission “to produce difference-making work that provokes discussion, inspires reflection and speaks to the times with compelling storytelling that is timeless.” They are fiscally sponsored by Fiscal Sponsorship Allies.
The 51st, a newsroom co-founded by six former DCist and WAMU employees that were laid off in February 2024. It is a worker-led nonprofit newsroom in Washington, D.C. that prioritizes coverage that explains how the District works and how to navigate it. The 51st is fiscally sponsored by the Tiny News Collective.
The Emancipator, founded in 2021 as a partnership between Boston University and The Boston Globe, is fully housed within Boston University’s Center for Anti Racist Research.
The Recorder News, Inc., a local newsroom based in the Hudson Valley in New York state. Community members started this project after their local paper, the Record-Review, ceased publication in January 2024.
U.S Right to Know, based in Oakland, California, is an investigative organization founded in 1991. Their mission is to uncover corporate misconduct and government failures that impact public health, the environment and the food system.
Waltham News Alliance, based in Waltham, Massachusetts, was launched in October 2024 with the mission of being the city’s primary news source by providing high-quality, unbiased, and community-focused reporting.
Provisional members
Provisional members of INN receive support while working to fully meet INN’s membership standards for editorial excellence, independence and transparency. Provisional members often are fiscally sponsored by INN or other organizations while launching their fundraising efforts. They can tap into INN’s Network Philanthropy Center to learn about fundraising and access resources for audience growth. They also benefit from the INN peer community that shares knowledge and tips.
The newest provisional members are:
H-W News, a local news startup based in Wenham, Massachusetts, was founded in 2024 and covers the towns of Hamilton and Wenham.
Swampscott Tides, founded in 2024, is a local news startup based in Swampscott, Massachusetts “committed to informing and engaging the public with fact-based coverage of community issues, culture and events.”
The Impending Bloom Project, a news organization that “seeks to elevate public awareness and create a sense of urgency about environmental and social justice issues by exposing corporate wrongdoing, through the use of investigative and citizen journalism.”
Woodbury News Net, based in Woodbury, Minnesota, was founded in 2024 after the area’s last local news outlet closed in 2020. They are fiscally sponsored by the Woodbury Community Foundation.
Galesburg Community News, which will be a digital newspaper based in Galesburg, Illinois, with a mission to “report on local business, education, government, and community to inform and give voice to the events and issues that affect people’s lives”.
Suncoast Searchlight, founded in 2024, is a nonprofit newsroom based in Sarasota, Florida that serves and empowers the residents of Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties.
The Margin, founded in 2022, is a nonprofit publication based in Occidental, California. They are an independent project of Countersteam Media, whose mission is to “center stories and perspectives that the mainstream media often miss.” They are fiscally sponsored by the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center.
The Lansing Journal, founded in 2017, is a newspaper in Lansing, Illinois that is transitioning to nonprofit status. Their mission is to “[build] community in our region by keeping people informed and connected.”
HomeFront Productions, founded in 2025 and based in Portland, Oregon, is a nonprofit, independent, video-first media organization dedicated to reporting on the health and well-being of American families. The organization plans to launch in August 2025 and will be fiscally sponsored by INN.
Affiliate members
Affiliate membership is open to organizations that share the INN mission of advancing nonprofit public service journalism but aren’t primarily newsrooms. They are not eligible for any INN programs that provide philanthropic dollars.
get REAL News, founded in 2024, is a nonprofit news organization that plans to use video and social media to amplify existing, trusted news organizations to “[make] journalism more relevant and accessible.”
Trans Journalists Association, a professional membership organization that promotes more accurate, nuanced coverage of trans issues and communities in the media.
Pro News Coaches, a journalism support organization based in Brooklyn that provides pro bono editing, coaching, mentoring and other services that enable community news organizations to thrive and news deserts to bloom again.
Sunlight Research Center, a journalism support organization founded in 2024. They provide research desk services and investigative training for newsrooms, particularly in the area of government accountability.
Radio Club Collective, founded in 2008, is a nonprofit project that “provides professional development to journalists in Southern California, with an emphasis on audio.
