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Our work didn’t begin with a crisis, it began with a choice — to show up, day after day for our communities.
In this Year in Review, you’ll see the meaningful progress the American Journalism Project and our portfolio made in 2025. Since our launch in 2019, we have invested in 53 local news organizations that are working each day in service of their communities. Our investments and support are helping these newsrooms build diverse revenue streams, expand into new communities and deliver impactful journalism. And at the center of this work is partnership, with funders, with communities and with the outstanding news organizations leading the way.
We invite you to read more below.
Our impact
$250M+
raised since launch in 2019
$73M+
of local philanthropy catalyzed to launch new local news initiatives
53
news organizations supported since 2019
86%
of organizations in our portfolio in 2023 grew their revenue in 2024
23%
year over year growth in median portfolio organization revenue
Since our launch in 2019, we’ve raised more than $250 million to advance nonprofit local news in communities across America. Our 2025 Impact Report illustrates this progress: in one year alone, organizations in our portfolio saw 23% median growth, generating a total of $128 million for local news and increasing the number of full-time newsroom staff serving the field by 26%.
These stories are just a few examples of how newsrooms across our portfolio generated tangible impact this year — uncovering important issues, keeping institutions honest, and strengthening the fabric of their communities.
Top photo courtesy of Enlace Latino NC.
“The local news crisis in the United States is at a turning point.”
— Leonard Downie, Jr.
Progress in motion: Strengthening nonprofit local news across the country
We’re advancing our work to build trusted local news by strengthening nonprofit news organizations, launching place-based solutions, and delivering hands-on support to organizations across our portfolio. Here are some of the ways our work grew this year:
Growing our portfolio
This year, we welcomed three new organizations into our portfolio — Cardinal News, Honolulu Civil Beat, and the Nashville Banner. The investments will help each newsroom grow sustainably to better serve their communities with trusted, independent local news; we’ll provide each organization with capital and hands-on venture support, including strategic guidance and capacity-building resources.
Expanding access to local news across the country
This year, we supported organizations across the portfolio as they pursued ambitious expansions, bringing vital journalism to more communities. As part of its AJP-supported growth strategy, the Salt Lake Tribune launched the Southern Utah Tribune, a free monthly print newspaper delivered to 40,000 households and businesses, paired with a weekly newsletter and expanded digital coverage — a major step toward ensuring residents in southern Utah have access to essential news and information. Deep South Today expanded its regional network with the addition of The Current, bringing nonprofit reporting to Lafayette and deepening its service to communities across the Deep South. And we announced new support for Spotlight PA, investing $1.8 million in its expansion into communities across Pennsylvania and helping scale its model for collaborative community-based reporting.
Supporting the launch of new local news organizations
Since our launch, we’ve developed a strong operation to mobilize local philanthropy and create market-specific solutions to address gaps in local news across the country, raising $73 million from place-based philanthropy in eight markets. This year, our Startup Studio continued supporting new ventures designed to meet community information needs with durable, scalable solutions. The Tulsa Flyer launched in October, publishing stories essential for the community’s local news and information needs. The new organization is also publishing The Oklahoma Eagle, a 100-year-old, Black-owned newspaper. In Los Angeles, The LA Local announced its name this fall and is preparing for its launch — it’s starting by integrating Boyle Heights Beat, a beloved hyperlocal newsroom, into its operation, and plans to expand its style of neighborhood-level coverage to communities across the L.A. region.
Deepening venture support through the Knight Resiliency Lab
This year, with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, we launched the Knight Resiliency Lab at the American Journalism Project, a specialized support team that helps local news organizations in our portfolio build long-term operational durability. Designed to provide newsrooms with deeper expertise in financial strategy, product development, fundraising, earned revenue, membership, legal affairs, expansion and editorial impact, including through partnerships with organizations like the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and BlueLena. The Lab builds on our long-standing venture support model while enabling organizations to accelerate growth and solve shared challenges more quickly.
Our Product & AI Studio, created with support from OpenAI and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, supported newsrooms as they experimented with emerging tools. Some examples of their work are below.
Accelerating learning and collaboration across our portfolio
AJPalooza, our annual convening, brought nearly 200 newsroom leaders, funders and partners from across our community to New Orleans. The event focused on building resilient organizations, developing strong teams and embracing innovation. We also had the opportunity to hear and learn from Deep South Today, whose regional model is helping expand high-quality local reporting across its region.
Throughout the year, we also provided numerous opportunities for learning and venture support across our portfolio, serving newsroom leaders through peer groups for CEOs and editors, workshops on the use of artificial intelligence and navigating legal issues, in-person learning opportunities, and hands-on accelerators focused on building earned revenue, leadership, and financial training. These offerings reflect our commitment to helping nonprofit news organizations grow their capacity, strengthen operations and build the durability needed to serve their communities for the long term.
Top photo courtesy of Wisconsin Watch.
Remembering John Thornton (1963–2025)
In April, we mourned the loss of our co-founder John Thornton, a venture capitalist and local journalism pioneer. He championed the belief that journalism serves the public good, and helped spark a movement to rebuild local news — a legacy that endures in every newsroom we support. We share more about John and his legacy in this tribute, and you can read more about John’s work in this summary of our history.
AJPalooza guests participate in a Second Line parade, a New Orleans cultural tradition, to honor the life of John Thornton.
THE PRESS
Media coverage about AJP and our grantees:
We’re ending 2025 with 53 grantees
We’ve now invested in 53 nonprofit local news organizations working in 37 states and Puerto Rico. While some have completed their grant cycles, the American Journalism Project remains a committed partner to the organizations in our portfolio, supporting them through capacity-building initiatives, partnerships, and ongoing participation in our learning community.
Thank you to our board, supporters and advisors.
Board
Irving Washington, Board Chair
SVP and Executive Director, Health Information and Trust Initiative, KFF
Peter Lattman, Vice Chair
Managing Director, Media, Emerson Collective
Rosental Alves
Professor, Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, University of Texas at Austin
Jim Brady
Principal, Spirited Media Consulting
Jelani Cobb
Dean and Henry R. Luce Professor of Journalism, Columbia Journalism School
Jeff Cohen
Executive Vice President of Communications, Arnold Ventures
Michelle De La Isla
Former Mayor, City of Topeka, Kan.
Teresa Gorman
Associate Director, Public Square, Democracy Fund
Joe Natoli
EVP and CAO, Baptist Health South Florida
Former Publisher, Knight Ridder
Hilary Schneider
CEO, SimpliSafe
Maria Thomas
Co-Founder & CEO of Sunday Health, Board Director and Startup Advisor
John Thornton, 1965-2025
Board member emeritus
Supporters
As we pursue our mission to establish and sustain local journalism as a public good, we are thankful to have these donors and partners alongside us, many of whom have supported our work since we launched in 2019.
$10,000,000+
$5,000,000 – $9,999,999
$1,000,000 – $4,999,999
$200,000 to $999,999
Arthur Vining Davis Foundations | Simone Coxe | Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation | Ford Foundation | Four Pines Charitable Foundation | William & Flora Hewlett Foundation | Kaplen Brothers Fund | Henry Luce Foundation | Lumina Foundation | The staff at The New York Times through its employee-giving campaign | Present Progressive Fund | The Schmidt Family Foundation | Erin and John Thornton | R. Ted Weschler | Natasha and Dirk Ziff
$5,000 to $199,999
The Alderyn Fund | Allen & Company | Howard M. Austin | BB Giving Fund | Pam & Larry Baer | Baskin Family Foundation | Harris A. Berman & Ruth E. Nemzoff Family Foundation | Bluebird Legacy | Eliot Brown | Cat’s Ear Account | A donor advised fund at The Chicago Community Foundation | Chrysalis Fund | Clean Yield Asset Management | David Conrad | CookedLemons Giving Fund | Cow Hollow Fund | Dana Devon and Neil Sand | Beth Dozoretz | Kathleen D. Edwards, PhD | Egan Family Charitable Fund | Ferguson-Spires Fund | Flamboyan Foundation | Freedom Forum | Ann B. and Thomas L. Friedman Family Foundation | Good Words Foundation | Greenbridge Family Foundation | Elizabeth Heinsohn | Inasmuch Foundation | Jampart Charitable Trust | Jewish Foundation of Memphis | Kinney Family Fund | Peter Kranwinkle | L and L Fund | Ladybug Foundation | Lakeside Foundation | Erica and Jeff Lawson | The Listgarten Family Fund | Dr. Michelle and Mr. Daniel Lubetzky | Ben Lumpkin | Julia Maher | Laura and Scott Malkin | Victoria Martin | McDougal Family Foundation | Membrino Family Fund | MERGEM Fund | Moccasin Lake Foundation | Charles Hazlehurst Moura Family Foundation | Miranda Family Fund | MKM Foundation | Joe Natoli | News Corp | Nielsen Foundation | The Overbrook Foundation | The Panonica Foundation | The Pedersen Charitable Fund | Gaye T. Pigott | Martin Puryear | Rockefeller Brothers Fund | Rust Charitable Foundation | The Sarena Snider Foundation | Schwab Charitable | Sixth Street | The Sundback-Owens Charitable Fund | Surdna Foundation | Robert and Virginia Shiller Foundation | Lucien Simpfendoerfer | Eric Sorensen | Jay and Deanie Stein Foundation Trust | Karen Tarnow | Maria Thomas | The van Agtmael Family Charitable Fund | Marianne Victor | Walton Family Foundation | Wedner Family Foundation | Elizabeth Weitzman | Mitchell and Elaine Yanow Charitable Trust | Brian and Susie Zachman Charitable Fund
Local Philanthropy Partners
We also want to give a special thanks to our local philanthropic partners who have provided funding to help identify and address information gaps in their communities.
The Arizona Community Foundation | Arnold Ventures | Arthur Vining Davis Foundations | The Burton Family Foundation | California Community Foundation | Central Indiana Community Foundation | Cleveland Foundation | Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln | Community Foundation for Northeast Florida | Community Foundation for Southern Arizona | Community Foundation for Tampa Bay | Flinn Foundation | Grand Rapids Community Foundation | Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation | Helios Education Foundation | Hillman Family Foundations | Houston Endowment | The James Irvine Foundation | Jessie Ball duPont Fund | Emily Kaiser and Gene Bulmash Donor Advised Fund | George Kaiser Family Foundation | Kalamazoo Community Foundation | Leonetti/O’Connell Family Foundation | Lumina Foundation | Miami Foundation | Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust | Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust | W.K. Kellogg Foundation | Waco Foundation | Walton Family Foundation | Wichita Foundation
Advisory Circle
- Laurence Baer, Chief Executive Officer and President, San Francisco Giants
- Farai Chideya, Host and producer, Our Body Politic
- Marsha Cooke, Vice President, ESPN Films and Executive Producer, 30 for 30
- Simone Coxe
- Pamela Maffei McCarthy, Deputy Editor of The New Yorker 1992-2020
- Graciela Mochkofsky, Dean, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism
- Dr. Anya Schiffrin, Senior lecturer, Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs
- Evan Smith, Senior Advisor, Texas Tribune and Senior Advisor, Emerson Collective
- Richard Tofel, Principal, Gallatin Advisory LLC and former president, ProPublica
The American Journalism Project is the first venture philanthropy organization dedicated to local news. We make catalytic investments in nonprofit news organizations and partner with communities to launch new outlets. Since 2019, we’ve invested in dozens of local news outlets, providing them with capital, strategic guidance and operational expertise to grow their reach and impact. By strengthening and scaling a sustainable field of local news organizations, we are working to ensure that people have access to the trusted, independent local journalism they need to participate in civic life.