Startup Studio
The Startup Studio at the American Journalism Project partners with local civic and community leaders to build sustainable local newsrooms that deliver trusted, independent reporting.
How Hoosiers came together to Launch Free Press Indiana
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Our team of journalism, media, nonprofit and business specialists takes a hands-on approach to launching new local news organizations, helping founding teams transition from early ideas to fully operational newsrooms. Each partnership is born from our local philanthropy partnership work, and tailored to local context and community needs, combining AJP’s strategic expertise with on-the-ground leadership. Our support includes:
Raising seed capital
Organization establishment
Interim fiscal sponsorship
Founding team recruitment
Visioning and strategic planning
Shared learning
Stakeholder engagement
By the numbers
news organizations launched from scratch through our Startup Studio
journalists working in newsrooms launched by our Startup Studio
in median startup organization budget
Initiatives
Examples of organizations we have supported the launch of include:
Indiana
Following a statewide community listening and research effort that included input from over 1,000 Hoosiers, we teamed up with a coalition of local journalism and community leaders, organizations and philanthropists to launch Free Press Indiana, a statewide nonprofit news organization and publisher of Indianapolis-based Mirror Indy. In addition to operating its own newsrooms, Free Press Indiana facilitates investments in local news around the state, including in Capital B Gary. Free Press Indiana started with over $11 million raised from local and national supporters dedicated to ensuring quality, independent local news and information is freely accessible to all Hoosiers, and has grown even more since its launch in 2023. We share more about their progress and the local leaders behind their success in this case study.
Ohio
In 2020, we conducted an information needs assessment in Northeast Ohio that uncovered a growing hunger among local residents for a news and information source they could trust, and that was representative of the makeup of Cleveland and Akron. The findings led to the formation of a coalition of local organizations, including The Cleveland Foundation and other northeast Ohio philanthropies, which collectively raised $6M to build a statewide network of independent newsrooms. The network now includes dedicated teams in Cleveland, Akron, and a statewide Ohio team, with Cincinnati in the process of launching.
Tulsa
Informed by a similar research and community listening effort as Ohio and Indiana, local philanthropies and civic leaders in Tulsa collaborated to launch the Tulsa Flyer — a $14 million effort to expand access to trusted local news. Our Startup Studio supported the integration and expansion of the operations of The Oklahoma Eagle, an award-winning, historic Black-owned newspaper that has served Tulsans for over 100 years, then helped establish a local nonprofit organization with over 20 journalists, serving all Tulsans with community-centered reporting, including in reporting and distribution in Spanish, with local partners. The organization has invested in and collaborates with other Tulsa news outlets to bring more news to more people.
Los Angeles
An information needs effort that reached over 800 Angelenos was the basis for The LA Local, a new nonprofit news organization serving Los Angeles County with trusted needs at the neighborhood level. The organization was formed out of a partnership of local philanthropies, more than 20 media outlets, and universities, and kicked off with $15 million in seed capital and the integration of Boyle Heights Beat, a 15-year-old community newsroom that is the go-to trusted source of news and information for the Eastside of L.A. Building on the lessons learned in Boyle Heights about earning trust and deep community engagement, The LA Local is launching additional community publications that will cover a total of 10 neighborhoods by its launch.
In addition to its own publications, The LA Local has invested in nonprofit newsrooms LAist and CalMatters to provide in-depth coverage of local and statewide issues from the perspective of Angelenos, with reporting made freely available to all of its partners for republishing.
News & insights
Updates related to our Startup Studio work
We asked 5,000 people across the country what they want from local news. Here’s what we learned.
We have a keen interest in understanding what people actually need from their local news outlets. That’s why, as part…
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We read thousands of articles by local news outlets across the country. Here’s what we learned.
Learn how AJP-supported efforts are identifying and addressing information gaps across the country.
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Our guide to developing a community ambassador program that can help local newsrooms better serve their communities
Over the last year and a half we’ve worked with more than 60 community ambassadors in six cities and regions…
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Interested in bringing a startup to your community?
Learn more about our partnerships with local philanthropy, or contact our team.