2024 ANNUAL REPORT
March,2025
Baltimore Brew/Will Allen DuPraw
10 years of NewsMatch: AlwaysEvolving 04
Karen Rundlet CEO,INN
AsweenterNewsMatch’s10thcampaigncyclein2025,we’rereflectingonhow muchthenonprofitnewslandscapehaschangedoverthelastdecadeandhowwe cancontinuetosupportthisgrowingfieldforthenext10years
NewsMatchwasinitiatedin2016bytheJohnS.andJamesL.KnightFoundation (incollaborationwiththeInstituteforNonprofitNews(INN),TheMiamiFoundation andNewsRevenueHub)inresponsetothegrowingnumberofpeoplemaking unsoliciteddonationstononprofitnewsroomspost-electionTheideawasto leveragethegroundswellofsupportforindependentmediaoutletsamidconcerns about“fakenews”andtheroleofaccountabilityreporting.
Atthetime,theexperimentwasdeemedasuccess:aprogramevaluationreleased inMay2017notes,“NewsMatchsuccessfullybroughtinnewdonorsandnew dollarstoparticipatingorganizationsanditappearstohaveraisedawarenessof nonprofitjournalismanditsneedforsupport.”
Afterninecycles,nearlyhalfamillionfirst-timedonorsand$400millionraisedfor nonprofitnews,theconversationswe’rehavingaboutNewsMatchnowlookmuch differentthantheoneswehadasaone-funder,57-newsroomprogram.
Newsroomsarebecomingmoresophisticatedintheirfundraisingpractices, enablingthemtogeneratemoreindividualgivingrevenue Supportforthe programhasgrownfromonefunderto36overthelifeoftheinitiative, extendingbeyondjournalismfunderstoincludeissueandplace-basedfunders.A cultureofgivingtonewshastakenrootincommunities,resultinginmoresmalldollarcontributionsandmajordonorsupportthaneverbefore.
NewsMatchcontinuestobeanunparalleleddonoracquisitiontool,bringingin21 programfunders(including4first-timesupporters),arecordnumberoflocalmatch funders(1,150)andover75,000first-timedonorsin2024alone.In2024, participatingnewsroomsgeneratedover$62millionfromtheirlocalcommunities duringNewsMatch,thehighestamountinprogramhistory
Aswelooktothefuture,NewsMatch’spriorityistomaintainthesteadygrowthof small-dollarcontributions,whiledramaticallyincreasingthenumberofmajor donors,localfoundationsandsmallbusinessessupportingjournalism
Simply:Wewanttobringmoresupporterstononprofitnews.
It is amazing to see how the nonprofit news sector has grown over the past 10 years, and NewsMatch has contributed to that expansion in meaningful ways.
- San Francisco Public Press San Francisco, CA
ParticipationProfile
By the numbers:
2024 cohort: Campaign recap with annual budgets over $1M
INNmembershiphasmorethan tripledsince2016,resultingina growingcohortofNewsMatch participants.
381organizationsparticipatedin NewsMatchin2024,anincreaseof 12%comparedto2023.
covering local or state issues
first-time participants 49 led by or serving people of color
The nonprofit news difference
The newsrooms that participate in NewsMatch produce critical news and show up for their communities.
LOOKOUTPublicationsisastatewideoutletinArizonathataimstoimproveand expandLGBTQ+representationonthelocalnewsstagewhileengagingLGBTQ+ communities(andtheirallies)inthequeerexperience
Launchedin2022,LOOKOUTisalready makingwaveswiththeirreportingTheirstory fromFebruary2024identifiedlocal counselorswhopracticeformsofconversion therapydespiteanexecutiveorderaimingto banthepracticeamongagenciesthatreceive stateresourcesbecauseithasbeenlabeled harmfulbytheAmericanPsychological AssociationTheirreportingleddozensto comeforwardwithstoriesofabuse.
Beyondproducingcriticalcoveragethat informsandprotectsArizona’sLGBTQ+ community,LOOKOUTisshowingupforits communityinreallife.Theirannual OUTWATCHFestinOctoberfeaturedopen micnights,artauctionsandhealthandfitness eventsThroughouttheweek-longfestival, LOOKOUTattractedmorethan500peopleto helpbuildthecommunityandhadharm reductionandtestingservicesavailableat everyfestivalevent.
IndividualGiving
NewsMatchsawthehighestleveloftotalindividualgivinginprogramhistoryin2024
Newsroomsthatparticipatedinboth2023and2024sawincreasesinindividual givingduringthe2024campaigncycle.
Individual giving performance,
Newsrooms that participated in 2023 and 2024
Looking ahead
2024wasastrongyear,buttheuncertaineconomicclimatein2025andbeyond couldputpressureonindividualgiving Prioritizing donor acquisition and diversification will help newsrooms diversify their sources of support andbe moreresilientintheeventofaneconomicdownturn.
LocalMatches
Newsroomscontinuedtoeffectivelyactivatephilanthropyatthelocallevel, securingthelargestnumberoflocalmatchfundersandamountoflocalmatch fundinginprogramhistoryduringthe2024campaign newsrooms secured local matches
$8M $6M $4M $2M
+21%comparedto2023
Bonus boost
In2024,weincreasedthelocalmatchbonustoincentivizenewsroomstoacquire morelocalmatches 61% of participating newsrooms secured their own local matches frommajordonors,businesses,andcommunityfoundations,anincrease from56%in2023.
Major donor support
Theincreaseinlocalmatcheswas drivenbymajordonors
NewsMatch,inconjunctionwith INN’sNetworkPhilanthropyteam, providesnewsroomswithessential resourcestohelpidentify, cultivateandstewardmajor donorsintheirnetworks
Right:Localmatchfundingsources,2024
The incentives for finding local match funders provided targeted messaging that our donors and supporters really responded to this year. Local matches helped us raise more from readers, AND the match donors felt they'd had an even bigger impact. Win-win-win!
Looking ahead
Localmatchesexceededpayoutsfrom theprogramforthethirdconsecutive yearin2024 We believe continued investment in securing local matches will result in a higher share of funding coming from communities andare committedtosupportingnewsroomsin thatendeavor Thiswillreducelongtermrelianceonnationalphilanthropic supportandcreatepathwaysto sustainablecommunityfundingfor newsrooms - Religion News Service | Columbia, MO
SparkingNew Campaigns
NewsMatchhasproventobeasuccessfulmodelforattractingnewdonors,with nearlyhalfamillionpeoplemakingagifttoanewsroomforthefirsttimeduringa campaignsince2017.
In2024,wereplicatedthissuccessbypilotingtwocollectivefundraising campaignsinadditiontothestandardNewsMatchcampaign.
racy Day 5, 2024
vided$500inmatchfundsto47 ationsaswellasdedicated gnresources,trainingand alizedsupport atingnewsroomsbroughtinover 0inindividualdonationsfrom an800uniquedonors,athirdof gaveforthefirsttime.
n!:Almostthree-quartersof antssaidthatthematching rovidedbyNewsMatch cedtheirdecisiontofundraise aroundDemocracyDay
The Maine Monitor
Give to the Max Day
November 21, 2024
SixMinnesota-basednewsroomsreceived$8,000-$13,000inmatchesfrom theMcKnightFoundationinadditiontoemailsandgraphicsforMinnesota’s annualdayofgiving.
Participatingnewsroomsbroughtinover$42,000indonationsonGivetothe MaxDayfrommorethan520uniquedonors,withover125givingforthefirst time.
Key win!:Onaverage,aquarterofallfirst-timedonorstheseorganizations securedovertheirentire2024NewsMatchcampaignscameonthisday
Looking ahead
Weaimto spark new giving opportunities beyond the year-end campaign in ordertogeneratecommunitydollarsfornewsroomsandbuildlastingrelationships betweennewsroomsandtheirlocalsupporters.
MinnPost
Acvitity overview
NewsroomTraining
WithhelpfromINNandNewsRevenueHub,newsroomsarebuildingtheir campaigningskills,investingindevelopmentstaffandshoringuptheirtechstacks inordertoestablishthetoolstheyneedtoincreasecommunitygiving.
Participatingnewsrooms wereprovidedwitha comprehensivecampaign toolkitincludingemailand socialmediacopy,graphic templates,aguideto engagestafffundraising campaignsandmore
newsrooms served 258
By the numbers: coaching sessions
Acvitity overview
InspiringChange
NewsMatchisbuildingaloyalcommunityofsupportersfornonprofitnewsby executingacomprehensivecommunicationscampaign Theseeffortsdrove donationstotheprogram, bringing in the highest amount of individual contributions to NewsMatch since its inception.
Key Activities:
PaidMedia:Aseriesofdigitalads ranacrossChronicleof Philanthropychannels,resulting in100,000websiteimpressions andmorethan300,000 newsletterviews
Wealsoreceivedtwoin-kindfullpageprintadplacementsinThe NewYorkTimes(picturedright)
EarnedMedia:NewsMatch receivedmentioninarticles throughouttheyearin publicationsincludingNeimanLab andNonprofitQuarterly.
CollectivePromotion: NewsMatchleveragedthepower oftheINNNetworktogenerate publicawarenessthatleadsto individualdonations.
ProgramBudget
Payout Overview
Partnerfund highlight:
In2024,we launchedarural partnerfund, whichprovided nearly$400Kto 111participating organizationsin 41statesand WashingtonDC
OurSupporters
NewsMatch 2024 was made possible by:
Barr Foundation*
DAFGiving 360
Democracy Fund
Heising-Simons Foundation
Henry Luce Foundation*
Independence Public Media Foundation
Inasmuch Foundation
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Jonathan Logan Family Foundation
Joyce Foundation
Kaphan Foundation
Loud Hound
Maida Lynn
McKnight Foundation
Solidarity Giving
Tow Foundation
Walton Family Foundation
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Wyncote Foundation
In-kind support: The New York Times
*4 funders joined NewsMatch for the first time in 2024
NewsMatch is a collaborative fund held at The Miami Foundation
The Salt Lake Tribune
