Having spent more than 20 years fundraising for news, and recently back from the Knight Media Forum, I have a clear perspective on what has changed — and a strong point of view about what still needs to change — in news philanthropy.
The conversation is shifting from promoting sustainability to defending press freedom
The First Amendment and technological innovation have long been priorities for the Knight Foundation. But this year’s mainstage at Knight Media Forum featured speakers, especially the Foundation’s President Maribel Pérez-Wadsworth, stated clearly that press freedoms are being tested and undermined in this current political climate; simultaneously, AI is a tectonic disruption for the industry and shifting how consumers access and engage with news and information. In the hallways, my conversations with attendees similarly were much less about the longstanding challenges of keeping journalism operationally sustainable and much more about the immediate concerns about keeping a free press free.
News leaders have become more comfortable with membership campaigns and more open to taxpayer funding
As the nonprofit news movement has exploded, with INN’s membership now exceeding 500 independent newsrooms, I’ve watched the boards and executive directors of nonprofit news organizations become more comfortable with fundraising from individuals. Several longtime INN newsrooms were launched by journalists passionate about reporting but who started as fundraising novices for their organizations. As one member told us, ”Having never run a fundraising campaign before, NewsMatch gave us the push to really begin building relationships with donors for the long haul.”
Since it launched 10 years ago, INN’s NewsMatch has given members not just a matching dollars incentive but crucial training, templates and a national campaign to accelerate and increase their individual fundraising. NewsMatch didn’t just change nonprofit newsroom revenue and membership practices. Today, nonprofit newsrooms know they have to build a case for their work, and the stars of our field have implemented year-round fundraising campaigns. NewsMatch is a true game-changer for the field.
There is also more openness among news leaders to bring in local or state-level taxpayer dollars. In 2024, 45% of INN newsrooms taking our annual Index survey reported participating in some form of policy-related work or discussions pertaining to revenue for news organizations. This is a marked shift from just a few years ago, where these conversations were non-starters.
Funders are just starting to see audience development as essential to support
A decade ago, the typical pitch to fund news was almost entirely around reporting and specific coverage of a topic (eg, education, global health, climate, racial inequities). Funders also made, and still make, grants to support accountability and investigative reporting. But the audience for news was assumed, whether through search, social, broadcast, or print.
Now, funders increasingly recognize that audience development needs attention as we move from a “social media” dominant era to one being shaped by artificial intelligence. Content is still the priority, but audience is a growing interest.
Philanthropic benevolence is not a strategy
A fact of nonprofit life is that foundation priorities do shift. While some newsrooms do need multi-year giving commitments, especially those serving communities with less wealth, all newsrooms need to plan for and implement strategies for multiple revenue streams: foundation grants, earned revenue, member donations, and taxpayer dollars.
Over the past decade, many INN newsrooms have built relationships with local businesses that sponsor events, run ads and even provide matching gifts during the annual NewsMatch campaign. During the 2024 year-end NewsMatch campaign, INN members secured additional matching gifts from more than 1,110 major donors and institutions in their communities. We can expand our tent: seek out civic nonprofit allies that might be partners in all aspects of your work, including fundraising. You might try out list swaps for subscriber or donor acquisition, or to co-host community events, as but a couple of examples.
The Call to Action
For newsrooms:
- Be real with funders about the world we live in now. Audiences are harder to attract. Ask for audience support in your proposals along with reporting.
- Stay creative and persistent in diversifying your support. Build relationships with your civic allies, your local businesses.
- Track your impact systemically. Tout it, share it.
- Mention your INN membership in your proposals – not every nonprofit newsroom gets to be an INN member.
For funders:
- Ask about newsroom impact and go deeper beyond the usual reach metrics.
- Whatever your issue, recognize how under-informed much of the public is about what’s happening in their own backyard. For issue funders, an informed public through trusted community resources like nonprofit newsrooms can help realize the change you want to see in the world.
- Consider ways to elevate the visibility of these remarkable newsrooms to your networks: open up your spaces for nonprofit newsrooms to host community events, subscribe to their newsletters, and share their articles in your own networks.
