Knight Resiliency Lab
Launched in 2025 with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Knight Resiliency Lab at the American Journalism Project is a specialized support team that helps local news organizations in our portfolio build long-term operational durability.
In a rapidly evolving media landscape, organizations need to adapt to emerging technologies, changing audience consumption habits, and continue to invest in the pillars of a resilient organization. Our venture support approach has long paired capital with strategic growth planning to strengthen organizations. The lab deepens this effort, offering more specialized support to deliver durable results and spread learning across the portfolio and with the field more quickly. By equipping leaders to navigate similar operational challenges together, the lab strengthens individual organizations while fostering shared learning that benefits the entire portfolio and the field.
Areas of focus
Financial strategy
We provide specialized support to help our portfolio build the planning and management systems needed to establish robust, multi-year financial strategies. These foundations enable long-term success and resilience, helping organizations grow and meet their communities’ needs in a sustainable way.
Technology
We help organizations develop new products, experiment with emerging technologies, and strengthen their editorial and technical capabilities through our Product & AI Studio.
Membership & revenue growth
We support organizations in growing their membership programs and developing sustainable revenue streams that build from their audience engagement strategies.
Editorial impact
We support newsroom leaders in developing and operationalizing strategies that strengthen the impact of their journalism, maximize their product market fit, and measure outcomes for the communities they serve.
Expansion planning
We support organizations in expanding their service to more communities. This includes helping them develop and define visions that are responsive to community needs, and providing support for local movement building and capital campaigns to fuel that growth.
Talent & team building
We provide guidance on building strong teams, managing organizational culture, and developing the leadership capacity needed to scale operations.
Fundraising
We help organizations find ways to build and grow a robust and diverse philanthropic funding base. We help these organizations understand how to build champions for their work, steward those relationships, and measure the results of their work.
Product & AI Studio
As part of the Knight Resiliency Lab, the Product & AI Studio supports portfolio organizations in exploring the smart use of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. With support from OpenAI and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, the Studio helps newsrooms pilot tools that strengthen newsgathering, improve workflows, and deepen audience engagement.
Our partners in the field
The Knight Resiliency Lab works with vendor partners who provide targeted support to address the operational and legal needs of nonprofit newsrooms. These partners give portfolio organizations access to specialized guidance and opportunities for collective learning that strengthen both individual organizations and the field.
BlueLena
Our work with BlueLena, an audience development consultancy, provides the organizations in our portfolio with the infrastructure, tools and strategic guidance they need to build sustainable reader revenue programs.
Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press
We’ve partnered with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press to expand access to tailored legal services for the nonprofit newsrooms we support. Through this collaboration, RCFP is working directly with organizations in our portfolio to assess legal needs, build preventative systems and strengthen day-to-day operations.
