Fundraising

It’s no secret that journalism is in a fiscal crisis. Layoffs and news deserts are common, ad revenue isn’t what it was, and no outside rescue is coming. So, fundraising, especially for the small and non-profit newsrooms trying to build data capacity.

There’s no easy answer, but two things are worth separating: the modes of funding and the funders themselves. On modes, data journalism is no different from the rest of digital journalism. The revenue streams worth knowing:

• General operating dollars, where editorial revenue not raised specifically for data work is allocated to it;
• Program-based funding, where a stream is raised and dedicated to data journalism;
• Project-based funding, where a funder underwrites a series or beat within the team;
• Position-based funding, where a staff line, fellowship, or specific person gets dedicated support;
• Story underwriting, where a funder (often a passionate major donor) supports a specific story;
• Membership models, where small-dollar donors give monthly or annually;
• Advertising revenue, which hardly needs a definition;
• Sponsorships and sponsored content, where partners pay for branded opportunities beyond ads; and
• Events and ticketed opportunities, where paid live experiences fund future reporting.

Some streams suit data journalism better than others, and most funders have a preferred mode. The Pulitzer Center tends to support project- and story-based work, while fellowship programs (see IRE’s list) underwrite positions. General operating revenue is the most helpful stream and usually the hardest to come by.

One tactic: break your conception of “data journalism” into constituent chunks. A data journalism grant may be tricky to land for a first-time program. But what about data visualization? Or a CMS upgrade? The pieces reinforce each other, too. Charts strengthen a funding proposal, and in-house analytics (“how has membership grown since we launched data reporting?”) make the case for you.

The landscape changed

This is the part of the guide that dates the fastest. Treat every program named below as current only as of this writing, and confirm it is still active and still fits before you build a plan around it.

The single biggest shift since this guide first appeared is Press Forward.

Beyond Press Forward, the funders that most reliably back nonprofit and data journalism now include the American Journalism Project (venture philanthropy that invests in nonprofit newsrooms and their revenue teams), the Knight Foundation (still a leading journalism funder), and the Institute for Nonprofit News (membership, fiscal sponsorship, and the NewsMatch year-end campaign). Report for America still helps place reporters, though it’s smaller than at its peak.

A word on what’s gone, so you don’t chase it. Meta and Facebook’s journalism funding is effectively over; the News tab, the Community News Project, and the payments to US publishers have all wound down. Google’s News Initiative still exists in name but is no longer a dependable grant channel for US newsrooms. Treat any older list of platform funders with skepticism before you build a plan around it.

The most durable advice is also the simplest: look at who already sponsors and underwrites data-journalism conferences and awards, and introduce yourself. Fundraising is relationship-building, and the names on this year’s NICAR sponsor list are a current directory of funders who have already decided this work is worth paying for.